life is still beautiful | johnny | ch.1
genre: cappucino, romance, angst, university!au, dad!au, drama, slice of life
pairing: collegestudent!johnny x fem!reader
bean count: 4k
a/n: i’m so excited to be sharing this with you! it has been in the works since 2020 on and off and omg i can finally post this fanfic. this whole series has mentions of characters from different groups other than nct- red velvet, dreamcatcher, seventeen, sf9, etc to avoid confusion with people of the same name! note: this is only a work of fiction, it doesn’t reflect the artists’ personalities in any way.
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growing up, the continuous tingling feeling whenever you see your parents arguing at the end of your hallway always broke your heart. the raised voices, objects getting thrown around, and the banging of slammed doors against the doorframe deafened your ears. you remembered you had to knock on every single apartment on the floor; same, above, and below- to apologise the nuisance your parents caused. some with good hearts would understand out of pity for you, others would provoke to kick your family out of the building. so far, you’ve made it to several years without any notice from the landlord.
with that background, there weren’t any doubts that it affected the way you perceive everything in life. silence overpowered the joyous you like a large coat, it has been that way. the younger you wouldn’t understand the clash of your parents. the younger you wouldn’t know the problems they had. most importantly though, the younger you wouldn’t receive any love or support from them at all.
it was like you never existed.
as you hit the eighteenth mark, you’ve made the bold but practical decision to move out. the toxicity they emitted were too much for you to handle. with every penny or dime you’ve been saving everyday since you were twelve and some extra cash from various part time jobs since you were sixteen, you had your small carry on luggage packed and left first thing in the morning one summer. a dilemma kind of held you back whether to leave a note for your mom and dad, only deciding not to and tell them not to find you.
if there was anything you were blessed with even if you were put in a dire situation of a broken home, you had to pat yourself at the back for never failing your grades. just average and sometimes in the honorable mention’s list. thanks to that, you’ve secured a place at a university far from your family home.
and of course, choosing a location far off was more than intentional.
the first few months were a challenge, the surroundings took you sometime to familiarise. adjustment was never an issue though, running away from home was worth the change. as you expected, your parents didn’t bother to look for their only daughter. scoffing at the past, you realised it had almost been three years since you left.
making friends was easy too, to your surprise. known as the loner and depressed type in high school, you tried to change yourself a bit and managed to befriend a new crowd of people. of course, you were discerning on people who are worth to befriend, not the ones who’d waste your time. one of them being kim yoohyeon, who’s now your best friend and roommate.
“y/n, i’m going out to the store, want anything?” she asked while putting on a cardigan.
you hummed and rolled your eyes playfully, “hm, two packs of ramyeon and chips. you’re paying alright?” she threw a crumpled ball of tissue at you, gasping at the very direct response. “what? it’s two in the morning and i’m helping you pull an all-nighter for your fashion thesis due in two months and a half. i deserve a treat. be thankful i don’t have class tomorrow and that my part-time’s in the afternoon.”
“okay fine.” she dramatically slouched her shoulders down, “be back in a jiffy bub!”
as the door closed, you sighed and stretched your almost numbed body. yoohyeon’s project was half done, just needed a little more tweaking and you could say hello to a convenience store feast.
yoohyeon was the first person you met at orientation, she seemed to extract innocence at first glance. though as you got to know her, she was a meme in real life who possessed extreme talent in singing. you and her clicked, she had problems in her home but they were immediately managed. so she was all smiles from ear to ear. it was something you were envious of; to have a healthy relationship with parents, however, it wasn’t working with you at all.
sometimes you wondered how it felt like, to have someone love you like family. your aunts or uncles would message you to check on you, and whenever they brought your parents up, you shoved down the topic back to its grave. it’s dead conversation anyway. the latest update you heard from them was two years ago. they still lived in the same damned roof where they argued a lot, you wondered why they were still stuck to each other like glue. the only difference was that your dad worked the night shift while your mom on the mornings. so they probably never see each other eye to eye.
when they did though, all hell broke loose.
you were brushed off your thoughts when yoohyeon opened the door, “okay, here’s your food, time to pig out!”
“finally, i’m starving.” you had the hot water boiling before she arrived, immediately putting the ramyeon in the pot.
“so,” she started, opening a bag of potato chips.
“when are you planning to date? it’s been theee years since uni started and i’ve never seen you on dates before.”
you pressed your lips into a thin line, “not right now.”
“why not? you’re pretty, you can cook; you’re even taking an early childhood education course, specifically in special education.” she plopped one into her mouth and chewed shamelessly, “i bet you’re good with kids too.”
“so apparently that makes me an ideal girl?”
“an ideal girl worth to have!” she exclaimed, later reaching for your unlocked phone. “guess what, download this app and go have some fun.”
“if that’s tinder you’re planning on brainwashing me with, i’m not interested.” you joked, mixing the sauce and toppings with the now cooked noodles.
“you never know, it might work.” she singsonged.
you sighed, yoohyeon has been pushing you to date because she felt like you were like a hermit, always stuck in your own shell and would only go out if needed to. not that you were interested, you just wanted to get school done and make a stable living. love will come anyway.
she clicked on the app store and downloaded a trendy app named ‘love click’. “it’s an app solely made for university students within the state. kinda like tinder but you play anonymous with a made up nickname, no one will know how you look like.”
you raised a brow. “that’s dangerous than tinder, y’know?”
“this is different, they can detect fake accounts and do a facial recognition. anyway, once you put your actual photo and real age, it will automatically pair you with others similiar with yours; interests, and hobbies. then it will change your face to a random avatar if ever you do a video call.” she tapped away. “that’s how i met hwang minhyun.”
“eh, i still think it’s risky. besides, you just got lucky. you scored a hottie.” you slurped on the noodles. “i could never.”
“just try, you could always quit and they’ll never find you. and who knows? you might even receive the whole package.”
you sighed, “okay fine. i’ll do it just once, for you alright?” you finished the rest and threw the excess soup away. “i’m not doing any after that.”
“cool! all your details are in here already. let me know if someone messages you.” she gave you a playful wink before working on her project once again.
—
johnny stretched his limbs after a quick power nap, he haven’t had enough rest since he was on the clock 24/7. he turned to his side to check the time, sighing a relief when it was only 3pm. as if it was waiting for him to be awake, a text message from his mom appeared on the screen.
[ mom] : “don’t forget to eat, my dear john. you’ve got two mouths to feed ❤️”
johnny smiled at his mom’s reminder, he was relieved that the messages were reduced to a low, knowing how protective she was.
a loud thud on the floor made johnny stand on his feet and rush to the door next to his. his worried demeanor soon changed to a soft one when he saw a little smile beamed at him from the ground.
“youngmin-ah, what’re you doing on the floor? did you hurt yourself?”
the child just giggled, softening johnny’s heart every single he did so.
he remembered the night when the almost two year old came into his life. it was a rough beginning, but he managed himself and was proud how he actually did while still in school.
his friends were in full support of this unexpected scenario and would take turns in looking after the child while he worked the night shifts at a café. like any other people, his friends were in doubt at his decision of bringing him to lectures.
johnny again proved them wrong.
what surprised them wasn’t how the baby managed to be quiet in all of the classes, but how johnny effortlessly handled him if ever a fuss was made. kun recalled that in one of their exams in biology major, johnny had the baby cradled in one arm as the other wrote the quiz. the professor wanted to hold the baby boy while johnny did the exam, but young man refused to, saying that he could handle it. he wouldn’t want the baby crying in a stranger’s hold while everyone was so stressed for the exams. adding that the baby’s wails would be a distraction.
he became viral at the university page when a photo of him feeding youngmin a bottle of milk, that certain scenario made girls want him as a husband. sometimes they would stop by to say hello to him and the child.
“dada.” johnny smiled at title, the little toddler fiddling the bottle in his hand while his feet stretched up.
“seems like you’re alright.” he poked his nose, earning a giggle from the two year old. “i still have to check any injuries. say youngmin, your birthday’s coming up soon. what would you like?”
youngmin hummed, as if he understood the question clearly.
“well?”
“mama.”
johnny was caught off guard that he tickled the little toddler as he smiled. “buddy, you already have a mama though.” his phone dinged, indicating an incoming text message. “speaking of her, she just texted me.”
[ kim minji ]: sorry babe, couldn’t make it tonight for dinner. i got singing rehearsals.
[ johnny ]: it’s cool. how about tomorrow?
[ kim minji ]: i’ll see first, pretty busy.
he put his phone back into his pocket, sighing at the same excuse his girlfriend gave. he didn’t want to overthink but it had been like this for a while, he wondered if she had fallen out of love. shaking his head, he shrugged off the thought to the back of his mind.
youngmin turned his full body to the side before standing and climbed onto johnny’s kneeled figure, the bottle still in between his baby teeth. “mama, where?”
“she’s not coming home tonight. maybe some other time.” he ruffled youngmin’s soft hair, eyes closing due to exhaustion. but then the little toddler smiled and patted his cheek and johnny wrapped his arms around the little frame. “come on, let’s get you dinner, we’re having your favourite!”
“lasagna!” youngmin put arms up, and johnny could melt anytime.
“hey you said it perfectly this time! well done my so-“ he paused as his phone dinged, a snapchat notification from taeyong appeared on the screen. making the toddler tilt his head to why the young man stopped mid-sentence. “let’s go to wash your hands alright?”
while youngmin nodded then hopped away towards the bathroom, swiping to unlock his phone, a snap video that his said friend sent made his eyebrows meet in an ugly mood.
[ taeyongss ]: bro is that jiu? your mj?
it was his girlfriend giving a lap dance to someone he couldn’t seem to recognise due to the flashing lights, she was enjoying it and the shocking thing was, she wasn’t drunk at all.
kim minji, his girlfriend since senior high, had a few names labeled on her. one of them was jiu (pronounced as ji-yoo) a nickname everyone called her in school, being one of the main solos for the choir.
some of the juniors called her a pink princess because of her obsession with the said colour. owning almost everything in it.
and mj was a form of endearment that only johnny used. his expression changed from a smile to a frown, throwing his phone on the bed that it bounced off and landed on the ground; earning his phone a crack on the screen.
“dada?” youngmin peeked through the bedroom door. now it was him to hear the thudding sound. “happen?”
johnny jumped a little seeing the child standing by the door with a towel in his hands. “my phone fell. come on, let’s eat.”
lasagna was a favourite dish youngmin adored eversince he brought him to an italian restaurant. meatballs were a favourite too, but something about lasagna topped it. as youngmin was busy making his hands dirty, johnny called his mom at this hour, she was probably home by now.
“ah my love johnny! i’m glad you called, what is it?” her voice still bright and lively.
“um, i was wondering if i could drop youngmin off tonight?” he played with the fork. “taeyong messaged me and i think i need to have a drink and hang out for a bit.”
his mom’s soft laughter brought relief to his ears, “oh sure my dear, your dad and i could need some company. it’s been quiet around here since you’ve grown.”
johnny smiled at the reply, “great, we’ll be there in ten.”
“see you later.” she singsonged.
after dropping youngmin off, he made his way to the bar where his girlfriend was. everyone who met johnny knew that he could be reckless when someone crossed over the line, who knows what scene he’d make tonight?
“johnny.” taeyong called out after seeing him enter the bar, johnny walking towards the bar where his friend was stationed at. “please don’t make a scene. my boss let you off the hook the last time you broke loose.”
johnny’s eyes scanned the area, looking for mj before looking at back at taeyong. “don’t worry. i won’t. this johnny won’t do anything.”
“better keep your word. she’s by the corner over there.” taeyong pointed with his head, “she’s been here for the past three months. good thing i’m the only one from campus who has seen her. if anyone else did she’d lose her solo spot at the choir. so called ‘angel’, huh? no offense.”
“none taken, but thanks bro. see you later at the dorms.” johnny said, then he walked through partygoers, the blasting music was deafening so much he hated it.
“i know right? he’s such a sweetheart.” mj said to her friend as she patted the guy’s shoulder who she danced with earlier. “i’d love to-“
“mj.” johnny’s cold voice rung in her ears, sending shivers to her spine. what is he doing here? “i’m guessing rehearsals ended early or it never existed.”
“babe i-“
“ey johnny suh!” the guy seated next to her greeted him drunkenly, the more he looked closer in the dimmed light, his blood boiled. “haven’t seen you since you had a baby! minji has been great to me recently.”
it was his high school rival, takuya terada.
“we’ll catch up soon won’t we?” johnny said sarcastically. takuya wouldn’t know anyway, his vision probably already blurry to even comprehend a straight conversation. he looked at minji, who averted her gaze towards him as she rolled her eyes. “we need to talk, outside.”
he took her by the wrist and he didn’t care if he was hurting her. she hurt him first; for a while now actually. he just had to put up a front before he vent out when they exited the bar.
“what the hell, minji.” he threw his grip away, minji holding her wrist and tsk-ed at the attitude. “is that why you’ve been missing out lately? you were cheating on me with takuya?”
“missing out? johnny you’ve been missing out too!” she raised her voice, “i don’t know if you have noticed but it’s been straining on the both of us recently!”
“so your solution was to hang out with another guy when you could’ve voiced out to me about your feelings? mj, we’ve talked about this!” he wiped his face frustatingly. “i don’t think-“
“i don’t love you anymore, john.” she said blankly, her face didn’t emit any pain she felt, it was like she wanted it out there. “that’s why i’ve been ‘missing out’.”
“you don’t.. love me anymore?” johnny stood in shock, his voice shaking a little.
“i fell out of love. i’m sorry.. i’ve been planning to tell you but i couldn’t.” she hugged her arms. “i didn’t want to hurt you.”
“my gut feeling told me there was something up. i was hurt just thinking about it. i don’t know but somehow i knew it all along that you were out of it. i didn’t bring it up because i held onto hope and believed my guts were lying that you cheated on me.” he said, his hands rested on his hip. “turns out i was right.”
“i’m sorry.”
“save it. i’m not hurt at all. maybe i just had to come here to confirm if it were true. you can live with that guilt that you’ve broken me already before you even said anything. i’ll raise youngmin myself. we’re done.”
johnny walked away while the cold wind sliced through his cheeks. usually in a breakup, one would break down. him and minji dated since high school, and there were on and off arguments here and there. they would always make up through talking, but to be told that she was cheating on him by another person sure sucked. he’d rather find it out himself and vent out right then and there.
guess this timing was actually better. though he told minji he was broken, he was actually so much more than that. he expected to at least shed a tear, he didn’t, for youngmin’s sake. even though he felt like an elephant was lifted off his shoulders, his heart was anchored deep below.
he felt so heavy with betrayal that his heart ached so much in a way he didn’t expect.
he wanted to break down so bad.
the door swung open of his family home and youngmin screeched a high pitched tone loud enough to startle the old man beside him, who was reading a newspaper. “oh john’s back.”
“dada.” the little one ran towards him, hugging his long legs for a second before johnny picked him up. “back!”
johnny’s mood changed like a shooting star whenever youngmin’s in sight. “hey little buddy! i’m back, i had to meet a friend earlier.” he kissed his cheek, “were you good to granny bear and papa bear?”
“he was an angel, john!” his mom gave her son a quick peck on the cheek. “who knew you could raise him very well? plus singlehandly!”
“he got it from me, my dear.” his dad took the chance to say, “are your studies going well though?”
“still a dean’s lister, dad.” johnny’s ears tinted a light shade of pink.
“that, he got it from me.” his mom winked at his dad, who scoffed at the remark. “where’s minji? you haven’t brought her here for a while.” the look on johnny’s face was too readable that his mom knew in an instant.
“we broke up. she had another guy behind my back.”
the sudden snickers from his parents left him in question, were they laughing? “great ‘cause we didn’t really like her for you!”
“really?.. wait, what?” he asked in disbelief, “anyway, i broke it off and i kinda knew she was out of it already.”
“took you a while to realize it, john.” his father just sighed, “are you going to get a new one?”
“what? no.” johnny chuckled awkwardly, “anyway we’ll take our leave now.” johnny shook youngmin a little before his parents bid them a goodbye. he walked towards his car and buckled him up. “ready to go, buddy?”
“ready.” he wiped his eyes, sleep covering him very soon. “music please.”
“which one?” johnny asked as he set the rear mirror to get a good look at him, knowing well what youngmin was going to say.
“coldplay!” they said simultaneously.
“now that, you got it from me.” he laughed heartily while they made their way back to his shared apartment with taeyong, jungwoo, and kun.
the clinks of the apartment keys had the boys look up from their game on playstation. jungwoo sighing frustratedly when kun defeated him thrice in a row. “seriously? you’re cheating, kun hyung!”
kun stretched, “clearly not. you’re just a bad player.”
“could one of you dumbasses get the kimchi from the table?” taeyong shouted from the kitchen, only to be greeted with youngmin having the wanted side dish in his tiny hands. “see, youngmin just got here and he did a better job than you two!”
“it’s loud in here, damn.” johnny took his shoes off while youngmin had his phone in his hands.
kun sat on one of the couches, eating the kimchi fried rice taeyong just made. “so you met up with minji, how did the dinner go?”
taeyong nudged the younger boy, and jungwoo looked confused. johnny couldn’t blame the two, they didn’t know what actually happened. “these two lovebirds called it quits tonight.”
“what!?”
“yup.” johnny popped his lips, “takuya terada”
kun’s eyes widened, “like.. takuya from high school?”
“they suit each other anyway, the biggest flirts of ____ high.” jungwoo chewed on a kimbap. “no offense.”
“none taken, i feel relieved anyway.” he sat down spotting taeyong busy typing on his phone. “you still looking for girls on love click?”
“well yeah, someone should at least find me attractive.” he replied.
jungwoo snickered before choking on his food, “as if anyone would see your face through a filter system on the app. just what is the university thinking?”
“ha, wait until they see this handsome thing for real.” he turned to johnny, “bro you should try looking for new love, you’re in need of it right now, you know?” taeyong locked his phone to continue eating the almost midnight dinner.
“please, i’m still freshly ‘heartbroken’, don’t tempt me.” johnny rolled his eyes.
“mama.” youngmin shook the huge phone, a selfie of johnny and minji flashed the screen.
“not mama anymore.” he told him, then youngmin clicked on another app.
“mama.” he showed them the love click app; the color scheme of red and pink caught his attention. and johnny scrunched his brows, the other three smirking at each other.
“seems like he wants a new mama.” kun teased, earning a death glare from johnny. “what? that whole daddy look of yours is attractive to almost every girl in campus. just wife someone up already!”
shaking his head, he couldn’t believe the encouragement from his friend. “too soon my bros.” johnny chuckled, “maybe i’ll give it try after a few weeks or so.”
johnny sat by the bed while youngmin slept with his sausage pillow. now that he thought about it, the little boy hadn’t seen minji in months. it was obvious that he’d look for her. but what he didn’t get was that he showed love click; a dating app he didn’t remember installing.
“mama.” he recalled youngmin say.
he dimmed the lights and sat beside youngmin, patting his bottom gently as he drifted away into slumber, he too was getting sand in his eyes. he pressed his lips into a thin line, halfheartedly created an account just in case he really needed it.
“this is stupid.”
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taglist: @titanmaknae29 @joepomonerof @lovesuhng @studyingthemind @cheyehc
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not sure if you’re still taking requests for chance encounters but i just read the whole thing in one sitting and love it sm!!! i love your more angsty drabbles so i was wondering if you’d do one where yn and johnny are on a “break” 🥹
Give Up, Give In
There were a lot of requests for going back to the club so I'm just adding some of my favourites:
Anon: I'm just a girl standing here asking for more Johnny (CE) yearning. Make him suffer ma'am 🙏🏻 [Yes ma'am🫡]
Anon: The club is your Chekhov's Gun and it's still lying unfired on the table. [This is the best ask I've ever gotten since this account started]
Anon: Just. More. Dom. OC. [Short and sweet. How can I refuse?]
Mini Masterlist
_
I was in quite the headspace when I was writing this and you can tell. In contrast to most other things I've published, I edited this painstakingly. Somewhere in the middle I watched Casablanca again and you can actually tell where.
This is just very intense. Idk what came over me, I think the characters came back to me like past lovers do in a dream. I wrote this in a daze. I also surprisingly like this. I'm posting it with love instead of just shrugging responsibility of it. Enjoy!
Warnings: Angst, Angst, Angst; A lot of references to a movie older than the Czech Republic; (There are just a lot of sexual warnings in this one girls) Smut, Voyeurism, Friction play, Light BDSM, Handcuffs and Whipping (not the main characters), Dom! OC/Sub! Johnny, Dom! Johnny/Sub! OC (They are switches in the most literal sense of the term), ribbon play (male receiving) [is that even real?], Abs riding, grinding, Dirty Talk, Degradation; Intense, INTENSE; So much angst like what was I thinking; Johnny's a bit of a babygirl in this lol idk how else to explain it; Pussy-whipped Johnny you are my #1; OC is mean, but Johnny actually likes it (He told me); A lot of misplaced anger and resentment (in a sexy way); Alcohol; Johnny has the kind of sadness in him that you only see in east european gay porn; There is some homosexual themes in this, don't forget that in this world everybody is bisexual (except Tenmin, they are full fruit loops); Bisexuality(?).
WC: 18.6 k (Honestly this can and should be read as a standalone.)
_
Her focus came in and out of the moment, mostly being drawn back by the occasional whimper or hiss that echoed loud against the cement walls.
It was a mistake coming here tonight. she knew it the moment Hyuck bought it up.
"You look lethal." Yuta crossed his arms the moment she walked into his house, equally confused and somehow proud. Beside him, Hyuck whistled. Both of them eyed her top to bottom, taking in the very nice dress she bought herself this week.
“Absolutely deadly.” Hyuck agreed, crossing his arms in front of him, “So where are we going?” He looked between the both of them.
“For dinner. A bar maybe, judging by how our friend is dressed.” Yuta mused, turning to (Y/N) for confirmation of the plan she laid out.
“What’s wrong with how I’m dressed?” She frowned.
“What?” Hyuck looked between both of them, confused, “We aren’t going to your club?”
Yuta chuckled, “No (Y/N) is staying away from the hallowed grounds.”
“Why?” Hyuck turned to her, looking offended. “I shaved my balls for this.”
Both Yuta and her turned to the boy, incredibly confused and horrified by the information he willingly volunteered
She cleared her throat, deciding it best to ignore it outright, “That’s none of your business, Lee Donghyuck.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“I just told you I shaved my genitals and you’re bringing up personal businesses?”
“You volunteered that information.” She grimaced, wondering why she didn’t see this coming. “You can’t just go to there on a whim. There’s a list that’s fixed a week in advance.”
“Aren’t you literally friends with the owner?” Hyuck mirrored her arms.
“The owner's friends gets benefits." Yuta shrugged, "You're roped in by extension, it seems.”
The very mention of the person who was not to be named made her spine straighten, “We are not going to the club. I don’t want him to think I am in his space, I don’t want him to think I need to. It’s a horribly petty thing to do.”
“He might not be there at all.” Yuta offered.
“We are not going.” She repeated herself, looking at the both of them with a sense of finality.
They ended up at the club less than two hours later. After dinner, entering a “normal” club reminded her exactly why she stopped doing this after undergrad. She wanted to just go home but Hyuck and Yuta were both slick menaces. And now she was here.
One of the men in front of her cursed, bringing her attention back to the present.
Her original reasoning to slip into the basement the moment she entered the club was to mitigate even the most remote possibility of being confronted by Johnny. Another part of her was overcome with intrigue once the idea materialised.
The basement was one place she hadn’t had a chance to explore. Initially, Johnny would tease her with the idea of it, but he never lived up to his own promise in that department. A couple of months in, their visits to the club reduced considerably as work got harder and their apartments got more comfortable. Then the matter was never brought up again.
Sitting in it now, she tried to imagine what Yuta meant when he compared it to the few dungeons he frequented in Amsterdam. A few with Ten even— back when he was still single of course.
The place was a lot more elegant than the floors above, divided into confined rooms that felt larger than they were owing to the incredibly tall ceilings. Unlike the rooms on the second floor though, there was no pretence. Instead of looking like hotel rooms, each room was mostly minimal. Despite the baroque display of velvets and satins, each only had one tall bench and a few chairs. The lighting was also much brighter than the intimate dimmed ones above. The lights here were yellow and brazen, nothing hid under them. The most apparent of which were the contraptions and tools displayed audaciously on the walls, ranging from curious to downright frightening.
Despite all that attention, the rooms were also open: no door, not even a curtain to lend privacy to the inhabitants. If she was clueless about what the requirements on this floor were, taking a walk down the length of the corridor gave her the clarity she needed.
Pain of this magnitude wasn’t something she was ready to give or receive from a stranger. But she did gather that spectatorship was a part of the experience on this floor. The chairs in most rooms had at least one person seated, watching as other people made use of the various instruments available.
That is how she ended up here.
One of the rooms seemed to be void of any onlookers. Two men occupied the bench inside, looking at each other with tender trust. She stopped at the entrance, deciding that this was the palatable option. She might even learn a thing or two, she wagered.
At first, they seemed unaffected by her presence. She pulled a chair and sat down at a considerable distance, still feeling trepidation about the intrusion. She watched as they got comfortable with each other, imagining that they met here for the first time today. They decided to trust each other despite, was what she decided.
Sometimes she wished that was how her initial visit to the club went.
“What should we use?” One of the men asked the other, the yellow sleeves of his shirt brushing over the man's cheek. The other looked to be the one calling the shots, so she was waiting to know as well. But he surprised her, turning to look at (Y/N) instead.
Her eyes went wide for a moment, not sure why she was being acknowledged.
“Well? You’re wearing silver aren’t you?” The man asked, his hooded eyes impatient.
Oh.
Her hand went to touch the chain that Yuta had so creatively woven into her hairpin. It was supposed to be half a joke.
Owing to the spontaneous visit, they were unaware that there was a theme tonight. It was classic movies night and none of the three were dressed for the occasion. So they decided to keep the spirit, deciding on pursuing otherwise uncustomary situations. Hyuck said he'd do anything the first person he met told him. Yuta claimed that today would be the day he pursued his favourite bartender. And she put on the silver chain and walked into the basement. A decision taken for the interesting stories it would birth. Much like this one, she relented.
She chewed on her bottom lip, trying to think of what she could possibly say.
“I don’t think–” Yellow shirt began to speak, probably sensing her panic.
“Did I ask you?” The other was quick to interject, keeping his eyes on her.
She looked at the two men carefully, the more compliant one much taller than the one clearly in charge.
“Take your shirts off.” She said first, “You’ve been rubbing against each other like kids at church. It’s pathetic.” Hooded eyes smirked, pleased to get what he was looking for.
“You heard her little boy.” He turned back to his partner, reaching out.
“You’re own clothes. Not each other’s.” She clicked her tongue, expressing her disapproval through her tone.
And that was how it began. They were excellent at following her instructions and slowly she began to take more liberties.
People came and went behind them. The first hint of another presence had surprised her. After that she started ignoring the sound of occasional shuffling.
Except one that spoke with a voice she could not ignore. A familiar one.
__
Johnny was comfortable in his corner, pretending to listen to Ten explain the theme again.
“I was watching this movie with a friend while she was recovering from a broken leg. And it came to me!” He told yet another person, “Unfortunately, she isn’t here today.”
“What are you talking about?” One of Ten’s friends sat up at that, “I saw (Y/N) an hour ago.” She looked at Johnny for confirmation.
Johnny looked up, at least two pairs of eyes already on him. He shrugged, trying to play off his nonchalance by taking another sip of his drink.
“Babe,” The woman continued, poking the man beside her. “You remember seeing (Y/N) downstairs, right?”
Johnny snorted, “You must be confusing her with someone else.” He said with utter confidence. She would not be anywhere near him if she had the choice. Not after what he said.
“She’s in a white dress today, right?” He asked his partner, who nodded.
“Yeah, she’s downstairs. Martin told me when I went for a cocktail. I wasn't looking or anything.” He added quickly. “Don’t glare at me man.”
Johnny looked away, not realising he was. His mumbled apology wasn’t even trying to be genuine.
“There’s Yuta,” Ten raised his arm to call the man. “Let’s ask him.”
“There is no need.” Johnny groaned, but Ten ignored him with ease.
“What?” Yuta came up, looking thoroughly annoyed. No doubt being interrupted in the middle of something.
“Is (Y/N) here with you?” Ten asked.
Instead of answering, Yuta turned to Johnny. The cautious look he gave him gave him the answer he was looking for.
“Yeah.” He turned back to Ten.
“Where is she? It’s her theme tonight!” Like most other people, Yuta too did not care about Ten’s theme.
“You would not guess.” He said with a grin, sitting down with a conspiratorial chuckle.
And that's how Johnny ended up in the basement for the first time in a year. He walked past each room, looking in to find what he was looking for.
Johnny wasn’t sure what he’d even do when he found it. Would he stop her? Would he watch? Or would he leave her alone like he had himself wanted?
Johnny slowed his steps, only for a moment. Why did she have to come to the basement now? If she wanted to, why didn't she mention it to him? He thought she wouldn't like it. Or maybe he wasn't the one she wanted to share that with. That last thought was alone to add a spring to his step.
His thoughts only spurred him on as he passed more rooms without her in it. Almost crossing one, he stopped to take a few steps back. He had to be sure that the back that was facing him was the one he was seeking.
She was in white like Ten's friend had stated, a dress he never had the privilege of seeing before tonight. Head rested on her hand, she was watching someone else. He relaxed, walking further into the room. Once her side came into view, the relief that came over him seemed to piss him off. Any thought of leaving her alone evaporated with it. This was supposed to be what he wanted.
“I had to see it for myself.” He scoffed, the novelty of the situation only just coming to him. (Y/N) turned in her chair, looking up at him with surprise in her eyes. “Trying new things? You could have told me if you wanted to come down here. At least I know what your limits are. You were never the best communicator.”
“I would assume that I know my own limits best.” She turned away from him, back to the two men in front of her. Not a hint of kindness in her eyes.
He really must have said too much that night.
One of the men sat quietly on the large wooden bench every room had, yellow shirt hanging over his shoulders, in place because his hands were cuffed behind him. The other man stood over him, a flog in his hands. His white pants matched her dress.
“Has he stopped asking for more?” She questioned the one standing. Both the men were watching her, waiting.
“Then why did you stop?” She questioned, voice impatient. “Does the little boy want something stronger?” Yellow shirt nodded like he was waiting for the question.
(Y/N) chuckled, getting up to walk to the small chest of cupboards. She leaned over, making Johnny finally notice the length of her dress— high above her knee. Pure instinct made him turn to the other people in the room, watching her with undoubtedly the same thought on their minds.
“Someone isn’t on theme.” Johnny clicked his tongue. It made the guys turn to look at him, then between the two of them.
Suddenly Johnny felt like they were the spectators, and he was the one on display with her.
“I didn’t plan on coming here tonight, so I didn’t receive the memo.” She didn’t even look at him, standing up with a thick whip in her hand.
“Eyes on me boys.” She turned to the boys, “Do you want this?” She questioned and the one meant to be on the receiving end nodded eagerly.
She chuckled, walking over to them and handing the tool over.
“Such an obedient boy, aren’t you?” She cooed, hand on his chin. Yellow shirt nodded enthusiastically. Giving in to her so easily that it nauseated Johnny. That would get them nowhere.
Keeping her eyes on his face and her fingers stroking his cheek, she handed the whip to the other guy.
“Start slow. You’re being too hostile.” She turned to the man with a warning.
“He likes it.” He defended, her hooded gaze remained bemused.
“I’m the one who’s calling the shots, am I not?” She raised a brow. The man swallowed, giving her a quick nod. As complaint as his companion.
This was no fun.
Johnny scoffed rather loudly, but she ignored him and as a consequence, the boys ignored him as well.
“What will you tell me you'd do?” She continued, focused on the man.
“I will listen and follow instructions.”
“Like a what?”
“Like the slut I like to pretend I’m not.”
She smiled, letting the one in yellow go to run a hand through this one’s hair. He closed his hooded eyes to enjoy the feeling.
“Good. Now do what you’re told.” He nodded and she let go, turning around to walk back to where she was.
Her eyes met Johnny’s finally.
“Can I help you?” She asked him, the tyrannical tone bleeding into the question. Johnny’s cock twitched for the first time that evening.
“You can start by reminding yourself who you’re speaking to, pet. Or do you need assistance?” Johnny tongued his cheek, shoving his restless fingers into his pocket.
She looked at him with disbelief for a moment. When she rolled her eyes, he was sure she was taunting him.
“You can keep your reminders to yourself.” She rubbed her hands together, “I didn’t come here to play with you.”
“Why are you here at all?” Johnny raised a brow, unable to hide the vexation in his voice. Why didn't she tell him she wanted to come to the basement?
It earned him the first flash of anger in her, so far, apathetic gaze. “I didn’t realise you were marking territory? Am I barred from coming here now?”
“I was asking a question.” He took in a cautious breath, realising that she thought he meant the club. Perhaps, the alternative made him look less bothered.
“Can't you see?” she pointed at the two boys, “I'm simply minding my own business. Why have you come down here? Looking for me?” She leaned against the head of the chair she was seated in before, waiting for his response.
Johnny let out a humourless laugh, “Who said I was looking for you?”
“I haven’t known you to come to the basement before.” She pointed.
“Just because I haven’t come here with you, doesn’t mean I’m a stranger to the place."
The words did what they were intended to do, her anger flared with an inhale she tried to play off. Johnny had to bite down his smile.
“Okay, be on your way then.” She flicked her hand towards the exit, dismissing him. "There are other rooms."
Johnny took a step towards her instead, “I stopped at this one because I could not believe you could be a watcher. I wanted to see for myself."
“She told you to leave man, why are you ruining our night?” The boy in yellow whined, making Jaehyun turn to find both men watching the exchange. The other one kept his eyes on Johnny.
She turned to meet his gaze, “Did I say you can speak?” She questioned. The boy gulped, shaking his head. “If you’re that impatient then get on with it. I didn’t say you can stop.” He nodded, turning back to the man in white pants with a demand, his eyes still watching Johnny. He looked familiar.
Johnny whistled and hissed, bringing her attention back to him. “Look at you. Even I almost believe that look on your face. What’s wrong, baby? You sound mad.” He cooed, mocking her.
“What’s wrong is that you’ve sauntered in here to ruin my night.” She failed to hide her frown.
"Ruin?" Johnny's voice raised in taunt. "I'm sorry to disturb your little pageant. You must have been enjoying just how easy this was before I walked in. They're eating up your every word, you must be elated."
Her jaw flexed and Johnny had to resist the urge to close the gaping distance between them.
"If you're done with your tantrum. You can leave now." She aimed her gaze at the door, a single and final order. It was Johnny's turn to flex his jaw. Tantrum.
"If you think this is a tantrum then what should we call your fucking fits?" He clamped his jaw the moment he heard the edge in his voice.
"We don't have to call them anything." Her volume rose, taking a step forward, daring him to continue.
"There it is." He smiled victoriously, "Why don't you stomp your foot while you're at it. Let's show everybody what you're really like under this act."
He could see the way she got blinded by her rage. For him he realised, that was something only he was capable of pulling out of her.
He should have backed off but Johnny stayed pinned in place, momentarily consumed by his sick desires to always get a rise out of her. He knew she wanted it too, her breathing hitched but eyes stayed glued on him. It was deranged but this is what he has signed up for with her.
“Fine," She said after a well contemplated silence. Johnny's lips quirked, knowing he was right as usual. Finally she was going to give in to him. For once. "Take off your chain and I’ll give you what you want.”
His smile faltered, brows furrowing. He regained himself quickly, reminding himself that he was being foolish to believe it would be that easy. Not after he was the one who told her they'd be taking a break. Not after the unnecessary things he'd said.
It was a silly thing that he regretted the moment he proposed it. But the tone she had ignored him for no reason still made his blood boil. At least he had the decency to lay down his intentions in front of her. She had absolutely no right to be angry. And yet, she was furious at him. It was evident in how she refused to so much as look at him since he had made the proposition, acting like he wasn't even there. Refusing to share an elevator, refusing to bring papers to his office.
He wanted to be civil but she went to great lengths to stay out of his path. Even reminding him that he wanted this when he asked her why she was sending interns with tasks that were done easier without the middleman.
It was infuriating and it only offended Johnny further. Even now, he was the one to come here with his pride between his legs. He told himself that he would not give in till she relented first.
“And what is it that I want, Kitten?”
“What you always want.” She turned to walk back to her chair, pulling the object closer to him, letting it grate against the cement floor harshly. “Me.”
Johnny's teeth against each other. Taking his hands out of his pocket, he folded his arms. No, it was her turn to give in.
“I will give you what you want if you take that chain off.” He pointed at her head.
“What I want is for you to leave. If you can’t do that, I will have to abandon my new friends.” She pointed behind her.
They reached a stalemate with her words, silently sizing each other up. In the back, the boys had forgotten about the commotion all together. The sound of clicking locks signalled the introduction of the bondage frame. The next sound was the clean crack of a whip, followed by a harsh inhale once it touched skin. Johnny took in a sharp inhale himself, the sounds tempting him.
“What good will taking mine off do?” Johnny spoke through raspy breathing, “You give up too soon anyway. You don’t know how to be in charge.” Another slash echoed against the walls, this time Johnny exhaled slow. “You only know how to be a brat.”
Despite his words, she smiled, watching him shift on his feet. “Two weeks without being inside me and you’re already forgetting things.”
“Has it been that long already? I didn’t even notice.”
“Sure. The last time you went this long, you were throwing tantrums like this.”
It was Johnny’s time to be racked with anger, his exhale slow, dangerous.
The whips increased in frequency and moans filled the large roam, bouncing across the walls with urgency.
“Go slow.” She lashed, turning her attention back to the couple.
“Sorry." Both of them said together, the one whipping dropped his arm. The other opened his glazed eyes.
Johnny should have brought (Y/N) to the basement himself.
“Sorry what?”
“Sorry, miss.” They said in tandem.
Johnny scoffed, “I never realised what a good teacher I was.”
“What do you fucking want?” She turned back to him, lips twisted with irritation. “You wanted a break, didn't you? What was it that you said?” She finally sat down, leaning back and crossing her legs. “That’s right. “You wanted a change. What happened, are you bored already?"
"No," Johnny shrugged, unclasping his arms from his chest to walk towards her. "I just wanted to see what you were doing with your free time. It's such a pity to see you waste it. The only person bored here is you apparently." This time he did smile, enjoying the way she averted her gaze, "So I came to offer you a game just for tonight."
"Not interested. You need to come up with better excuses."
Johnny hummed like he didn't believe her, shadow falling over his entire form as he came closer. Her brows knit, gearing up to defend the truth. He cut her off before she could even speak.
"Stand up." He ordered, stopping his stride only when his knee touched the chair.
She blinked, practically rendered silent by his audacity. What pissed her off more was how she almost did it, the chair audibly screeching back before she could reign her instincts in.
(Y/N) crossed her arms, mirroring his stance from earlier as she sat back to play off the slip, pretending she was just trying to sit back.
She knew it didn't work when Johnny smirked. She was busy preparing herself for when he asked again, to stand her ground with more conviction. Instead, he leaned down, kneeling in front of her. The act was in sharp contrast to his previous words, giving her whiplash and leaving her out of depth.
His fingers brushed her dress, staring at her lap in a way that made her think he would rest his head against it. It was a thought that had no place in the given circumstances. Slowly he looked up with a tender gaze that was equally out of place.
"What game do you have in mind?" She asked, mostly to distract herself from the way her heart leapt when she met his eyes. After all this time, he still had the ability to make her feel so excruciatingly timid.
"It's movie night." His voice was soft, "Let's pretend to be different people." He ran his tongue over his cheek.
She wasn't sure what to make of the statement. After all this time he never stopped being an enigma.
"Who are you dressed as?" She looked down at his white shirt, making a note of the undone bowtie, "Roger Moore as James Bond?"
"I prefer Sean Connery."
She took the bowtie between her fingers, "You don't have his raw sexual magnetism."
Johnny's lips twitched and she couldn't help the way her own mirrored it.
"If we're going to be playing parts," She sighed, not entirely sure how he'd managed to lure her in. Then again, she was always too ready to give in to him, "Let's play ones different from who we really are. Something to keep this night out of our," She failed to hide the sliver of indignation in her deep inhale, "Current situation."
Johnny licked his lips, looking somewhere between amused and rattled. Yet again, she was stunned by his audacity.
"In that case, I have the perfect thing." He took her hand in hers, bringing it up to kiss her palm. This time her indignated inhale came before a pained exhale.
He came closer instead of finishing his thought, leaning till their noses touched.
"Let's pretend we're in love."
Her eyes froze over in an instant, a foreign gasp making her turn back to the people who were now spectators to her vulnerability. Both of them watched with bated breaths, their own preoccupations long forgotten. They watched her, waiting for her response.
She pushed Johnny without looking at him. Predictably, he did not budge. When it happened the third time she did turn back, liquid rage dripping from her glare. Her mind mulled over a response multiple times, the sort of words that would express her outrage without hinting at her agony. It fell short, not finding the right ones to express how deeply unkind his words were. Not without betraying her closely guarded secret.
He was still close to her, close enough to let her count the lashes that framed his amber eyes, to see the stray one that fell on his cheek. This close it was easy to see that he was the most beautiful man on earth, easy to forget everything and just fall an inch closer. It was easy to want nothing more than to press her lips against his, to forget they were meant to be apart. This close she didn't need to pretend to be in love.
"Oh god." She heard Yuta's voice, cutting through the haze of lust that began to overcast her decisions. "(Y/N)." He marched up to them.
Only when she heard his footsteps stop beside did she turn from Johnny.
"Let's go, babe." He pointed his thumb at the door, whistling to play off the urgency.
She turned back to Johnny, who had moved back a few inches now. Miles, as far as their usual proximity was concerned.
She sighed, pushing her chair back.
"What do you need (Y/N) for?" Johnny asked casually.
"I need to keep her away from you." Yuta clicked his tongue, laughing awkwardly when Johnny turned to frown at him. "Nothing personal, buddy. She made me promise I would." He pointed at her.
Johnny turned to her, raising a brow. Waiting for confirmation.
"Don't bother. My instructions are to take her away whether she likes it or not. You know how crazy our (Y/N) is." Yuta chuckled like he was making small talk. She got out of her chair with a loud screech.
"Let's go." She grabbed Yuta's arm to turn him around, "I need a fat drink."
"You need a fat something." He scoffed, knowing himself that he deserved the smack she landed on his arm
"At least try to think before you speak sometimes." She groaned.
"Just tell her man." One of the boys spoke up, reminding Johnny of their presence. It was the one in yellow, his brows furrowed in deep thought. His companion scoffed, shaking his head.
"Did anybody say you can stop whipping?" Johnny raised a brow at the guy with the object in his hand. "Did you tell him to stop?" He asked the one tied up. Both shook their heads.
"In that case, you need to focus on your own endeavours." Johnny stood up from the floor, brushing the dirt of the knees of his good pants. "Enjoy your night."
As he turned to walk away, the sound of a whip cracked through the silence.
__
(Y/N) seemed to find more than a few merits in the basement. On top of being less crowded, the basement bar also housed some interesting liquor choices. A tequila bottle with a worm and some Baiju with an entire snake sat side by side on the shelf at eye level. While she would not be trying them, she could respect Ten's sense of humour.
Yuta also swore that this was the bar with the best cocktails. Martin, the bartender, was a legend on the premises if her best friend's claims were true. Patrons would sometimes grace the floor to only stop for a drink. She was sufficiently intrigued.
Nails tapped against the stone surface of the bar as they waited for the cocktails in question. She also waited for Yuta to speak, getting impatient and agitated from his stare.
"I just don't understand why you keep doing this." He huffed. Never one to express any overt opinion on the matter, she was caught off guard by his frustration. "If you really want to stay out of his way then do it."
"I'm trying. He came to me."
“You and I both know that you can enforce a boundary when you want to.” He groaned, looking away like the whole thing was making him uncomfortable. “Look, I don’t want to sit here and act like I can give you any real advice. I just want to ask you if you’re sure about what you’re doing.”
She could never lie to Yuta, not in a convincing way at least. She stopped tapping her nails, rubbing her fingers together and watching the bright lights above reflect on her nails.
“I know what I'm supposed to be doing. What it’s supposed to be like.” She mumbled the confession, spotting a chip in her nail enamel. “But it’s confusing with him. Everything is confusing with him.” Teeth ground against teeth as she let the words wash over her. She needed a manicure. She needed to stop doing this to herself.
"This has started to feel self-inflicted to me." Yuta assessed with accuracy.
"It needs to end." She spoke, the words rattling her to the core.
It was the only way left now.
"Then do it? What exactly are you waiting for?" Yuta raised a brow, making it blatant that he was baiting her.
Her lips parted, answer ready on her lips. She bit her tongue the next moment, putting the thought away.
"How do you just expect him to notice that you're this in love with him when you put so much effort into hiding it?"
She looked up at him fast, "I’m not–"
"Spare me, (Y/N)." He cut her off, "The only person who can't tell is the man himself. And that’s only because he’s too busy being in love with you.”
“Stop.” She shook her head, “That just isn’t true.”
“Are you stupid?”
“Fuck off, Yuta. You don’t know all of it. You’ve seen him be nice, you’ve seen him take me to the orthopaedic’s, seen him get me drinks. But you don’t know how he is. If Johnny loved me, he would say it.”
“Like you say it?” His brows furrowed, looking angry. She had never seen Yuta angry at her.
“It’s not the same.” She took a deep breath, her lungs fracturing from the force. A sound of wood cracking filled the air, followed by the laughs of multiple people. She turned back to see the cause of the commotion. Someone shouted that a bench broke, followed by a reassurance that everybody was fine.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Yuta spoke after, “You keep torturing the guy because you don't know what to do about how you feel. And you torture yourself because you don't want to make a decision." Yuta paused, giving a sympathetic sigh. "I love you, but it's not fair, you know that. He drops everything for you, I can’t believe you don’t see how he lets you toy with him. He’s always at the mercy of your whims and he doesn’t even mind it. Do you want to be the kind of person who does that to someone? He’s a decent guy."
She knew he was right. But he also didn't know all of it.
"I don't want to torture him." She admitted, keeping her eyes fixed on the white bar top, “He's always trying to get a rise out of me and I just,” She paused to sigh, yet again feeling confronted by her own state. These were things she’d never said before. “So I give him what he wants, a fair fight. I don't know how this ended up being the kind of thing where we keep pushing to see how far it can go.”
Yuta frowned, visibly bothered by the notion. She couldn't blame him. It seemed to be like this all the time now. Both of them looked for reasons to fight lately, like they were testing to see who would get up and call it off first. Loving him made her angry and picking fights made it easier to pin that anger on the right target. He had begun to find her frustrating as a result.
"Why not just talk it out? It can't be worse than it is now?" Yuta questioned.
About this, he would be wrong. She knew Johnny too well by now. He would try to play it off, say that they can give it a shot without meaning it. Johnny was used to being admired, he would never understand its intensity. He would take it as easy as he took most things and it would ruin her.
"I think," She paused, looking up at the ceiling with a groan. "I'm not afraid of rejection. If he said no it would hurt, but I'd move on." She looked back down at her friend with a heavier heart. "What I'm afraid of is that he would say yes without meaning it. He's okay with everything. If I asked him for a relationship he'd say okay, if I ask him I never want to see him again he'd say okay too. If I asked him for the real thing I'd want it to work. But I don't know what he wants."
She sighed, thinking about how complacent he was about everything. When she decided to ignore him on a whim he left it alone, when she decided to spend the last week of her recovery at Yuta's he was okay with it. He was okay with her sleeping with Doyoung and when she told him they don't anymore he was okay with that too.
"Johnny is just always okay with everything." She spat the words, before she sighed again. "I know that's not fair I just–" She paused again, entirely lost on what she even wanted. "If he loves me, he does a terrible job showing it."
“Oh,” Yuta said. To his credit, she could tell that he was trying to understand. “That does sounds complicated.”
That was what finally made her laugh. Complicated was exactly what she’d spend her entire life avoiding. It was why she spent her weekends with her friends and why she was insistent on keeping things casual with Johnny.
She nodded in agreement, a pitiful smile lifting her lips. "I'm ready to take all of it too. That's how afraid I am to be without him. I keep playing his games and I keep making new ones. Hoping it will keep him interested. Hoping that for once he'd say more than okay. Even if it was a no." She groaned, once again angry at herself.
"What happened to you?" Both of them laughed, her face scrunching.
"I don't know, man. I've tried so many times to figure out how I let a person rattle the peace I’ve spent my entire life protecting. A man who could replace me without any effort."
"No one can replace you." He sounded offended.
She scoffed, mostly finding his reassurance touching.
"I get that you're moping, but you make no sense." Yuta's brows furrowed, "He's wrapped around your fingers."
"That's just because I keep him on his toes." She shrugged, "To overthrow predictability is to strive for more compelling experiences." She repeated the words Johnny had said to get once, the words leaving her tongue bitter.
Yuta tapped his knuckles on the bar with a frustrated groan, pointing an accusatory finger at her. " I told you to not play fuck monopoly. You've gone and turned it into a tournament." Yuta groaned, knocking his shoulder against hers.
"I should have listened to you.” She admitted, lips twitching when Yuta looked surprised at the confession. “Sometimes I wish it wasn't so combative. If I wasn't so afraid of losing him every second he's with me, then maybe I'd love him without fighting it all the time."
The words left her heavier than she imagined, wishing she really could do it. When she wasn't so busy fighting it with all her might, she knew that loving him was worth all of the things it came with.
"You can just love him." Yuta's words made her close her eyes in denial, "Everybody is at the risk of being lost, no? Nobody comes with a guarantee, why should he? I could have a heart attack tonight while having the best sex of my life and you will never see me again. You don't fight our friendship? Why fight this?"
She looked up a little at loss, unnerved by the wisdom Yuta suddenly imparted.
"What?" He asked.
"I can't believe you just live, laugh, loved this." She snorted. Despite everything, she felt more grateful for Yuta now than she ever had before. "I appreciate this. Really, you are my ride or die." She gave his hand a squeeze.
"Aw, you're so sentimental. Do you still want me to keep you away from Johnny?"
"Yes."
Yuta sighed, "I guess I was also being too optimistic expecting you to change overnight. Think this through when you can."
"I will." She promised.
"That's good enough for me."
_
Leaning against the bar, head resting on her palm, she took in another deep sigh. (Y/N) had lost count of how many it had been. A deep melancholy had settled in her bones and it could neither be shaken off nor be cured.
"What can I get you?" The bartender came up to her.
Her order came to the tip of her tongue like it was second nature, a glass of whatever red was the best. But she stopped herself when she realised that it was Johnny's second choice, not hers. Then she thought to ask for a whiskey but immediately realised that it was Johnny's first. Maybe making a simple decision shouldn't be so complicated.
"A gin and tonic for the lady, Martin. The one you make with the lavender gin." Johnny spoke as he took the seat in front of her. "Since she walked into my gin joint of all places."
The words made her finally realise what he meant to dress as, a humorous smile tugging at her lips.
It had been a while since she'd seen him properly. Johnny had spent most of the past few weeks on a work trip, spending the remainder of his time on the recording floor. The rest, she took the effort of being out of his way, taking his need for a break to heart. A break from her, he meant. It was the least she could do.
Right now, in the depths of her despair and with two glasses of two different liquors in her, she allowed herself a good look.
To her misfortune, he looked as he always did. As breathtaking as the first day she walked into this club. He was different behind these walls too; always at ease, not exhausted, not burdened by the condition of his position. In here Johnny was always just a man.
She seemed to understand then. He wanted a break to get back to this, to be carefree and fun. Without the predictability and bitterness that had settled into what they had. Her fingers squeezed the edge of the bar.
Johnny ran his index finger over the rim of his glass, mixing the sound with the tapping of his shoe— making some unknown melody. The action brought her attention to the flicker on his wrist, from where hung a single gold chain. Her eyes wandered to his collar, where the silver chain from earlier was missing.
"What brings you here, Miss?" He sat back in his chair, his eyes sparkling under the sparse lights.
She took a moment, taking his words in. His question was an open ended request. She could be anybody she wished right now, say whatever she wished. She could be carefree and fun, be as unpredictable as she liked.
She could make him stay.
"A miscalculation. I thought it would be an enjoyable night. Yet I'm stuck making boring small talk with a man who thinks he can order drinks for me." She couldn't help the words, the anger from before still remaining. If he wanted time away from her then why did he keep coming in her way? Why did he make it hard for her to walk away from him?
She could be anybody at that moment. Yet, (Y/N) chose to be herself.
Johnny's eyes danced with embers, tongue darting out to lick his eager lips. He chose to be himself too.
"My apologies, Miss." He tipped his head, not meaning it in the slightest.
"You seem to know my tastes." She picked the drink up once Martin placed it in front of her, giving him a quick smile.
"I am a man of many talents." Johnny answered.
"I was talking to the bartender, Sir." She turned to him, nose raised high. Martin chuckled, apologising to Johnny almost immediately after he could. The title was meant to mock the one he used for her. Yet the very formation of the word on her tongue reminded her that it was a word between people they were trying to run away from at the moment.
Johnny's lips twitched and she couldn't tell what it implied, what he was reacting to.
"What brings you here?" She asked, humouring him at last.
"To this place?"
"To me."
Johnny chewed his bottom lip, clearly a little frustrated at her adamant need to be difficult. In truth, she couldn't be sure why she was being like this either. But Johnny liked when he was cornered, rendered retortless. And the distress marked so clearly across his face made the depths of her belly twist in a way it hadn't in weeks.
"Do you gamble?" She asked him, once again steering the conversation away from the dead ends she sent them into herself.
"I did once, lost everything I had."
"That must have been hard. My condolences to you."
"It doesn't matter to me. At least we'll always have Paris." He gave her a smile that was uncharacteristically warm. It pulled her out of the act, reminding her of what she was missing.
(Y/N) remembered making Ten and Johnny watch the movie. One of her all time favourites, she had warned him when he complained about the cliché premise. She knew that was why he was doing this. She just couldn't tell if it was out of spite or affection.
"My husband is waiting for me upstairs. I must go to him." She stood up, breath catching in her throat when he caught her wrist.
"Your husband is gambling."
"My husband doesn't gamble."
"We all gamble, my love."
She jerked her hand out of his hold, the words stinging her like a live wire. Sucking in her teeth she couldn't help the way her face twisted, seething.
"You will be back." Johnny sat back, face neutral.
"Why would I?" She tapped her hand on the bar, lifting her drink into her free hand.
"Because we all have something at stake." He let her hand go, eyes shifting with sorrow. She wondered if he'd always been such a good actor.
__
Johnny played her face over in his mind so many times that he hoped it would dull the pang in his chest. Could it really be that bad? Did she hate the idea that much? Was being in love with him that unpleasant a thought to her?
He groaned, sitting up on the sofa. The sound earned his friends attention, Ten turning to him with a particularly impatient gaze. He looked ready to say something.
"Can you just–" He began, his husband's hand coming up to stop him.
"Johnny needs another drink." Taemin gave Ten a warning look, turning to Johnny after. "There's a good Japanese whiskey out today." He offered with a smile, pitying him.
Johnny wanted to scoff, but he was aware that he had successfully over wrung everybody's patience. So he nodded and got up to leave.
He realised that he had become the reason he avoided the fancies of things as tedious as love, sitting here by himself drowning his aching sorrows in alcohol too expensive to be drunk so copiously. Just like the movie he had made fun of, Johnny was yet again a cliché.
"This needs to stop." He mumbled to himself, not remotely drunk enough to pull half the antics he did tonight.
Johnny had always believed that he’d find love when the time was right. He never sought it out because he believed that these things happened on their own. The fact that he spent the entirety of his twenties building his company was something he was proud of. He didn’t believe he had wasted the time.
In truth, Johnny had spent his entire life working towards something. Too occupied to ever feel loneliness in the way it was perhaps meant to be experienced. Which was probably why he wasn’t prepared for it. Love had finally found him and Johnny was plunged headfirst into wanting something that he failed to work towards. There was nowhere to go. What he wanted was right in front of him. He just didn’t have the courage to grab it.
He heard the hesitant intake of breath he’d recognise anywhere. The sound dragging him out of his musings.
"You were right." Her words pierced through his thoughts.
Johnny halted the urge to whip his head immediately at the sound.
"Are you here to finally gamble?" He spoke to his glass. She came around to stand in front of him, shaking her head.
Her hand reached out, moving the few stray strands off his face, When he flinched at the touch, she retreated her fingers quickly.
"You aren't the only one to have lost everything in Paris." She spoke carefully.
He sighed, the sound more like the wince of hot sand when it finally rained. Looking up, his eyes met her vulnerable ones, the ones he’d keep making the same stupid mistakes for. The ones he'd happily run into a million dead ends for.
Johnny put his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She didn't fight it and he was sure that his relief was written across his face as he rested his forehead against hers.
“Who are you really?” He sighed.
“We said no questions.” She sighed along with him; caressing his hair, playing his game.
"We have to stop doing this to each other. To ourselves." He let the liquor speak for him, soaking up the courage it came with. Johnny took a breath, telling himself to take the leap; to say what he needed to say, to ask for what he yearned to have.
Her hand landed on his arm, squeezing. “Johnny.” Her whisper trembled past her lips.
“Hmm?” He said with incredible caution, squeezing her tighter and bringing her closer. Slowly he opened his eyes, waiting for her to speak.
“Let me go. I don't like this game anymore.” She tried to get away from his hold.
Johnny’s brows furrowed, “What?” He breathed out, not expecting that. He was being serious, he needed to speak before he lost his nerve.
“Just,” She huffed. “Move. I don’t want to talk to you anymore.” She hit his shoulder when he didn’t listen.
“You came to me.” He reminded her.
“Yes, and now I want to go.” She grit her teeth. “Please.” She pleaded, practically whimpered in pain, and his hands relaxed the very next moment, letting her go.
“Whatever, (Y/N). I’m tired of this.” He turned away from her.
Despite her earlier insistence, she faltered. He could see her watching him from the corner of her sight, hesitating. Just as he turned to call her out on it, or to finally ask (he wasn't sure), a voice called his name. Both of them turned.
“Hey Johnny,” It was Jessica, the model. “Can you come with me for a moment?”
Johnny turned his gaze to look at (Y/N), finding her jaw gritted and eyes fixed on the girl. His lips quirked despite himself, tongue sliding over his lower lip as it lifted.
“Sure.” He sat up, “I was done here anyways.” He stood up from his seat.
_
“What?” Johnny stopped in front of Ten. If the way he snapped didn’t betray his irritation, he hoped his face did. “Why did you send Jessica to call me?”
Ten turned to Johnny, taking in the apparent displeasure with a frown of his own.
“Yuta mentioned that he’s meant to keep the two of you apart. I thought I would add to the effort.” Ten shrugged.
Johnny ran her hands through his hair, “Okay.” He groaned, sounding anything but. “But why did you send Jessica?”
“She was passing by and she knows you.”
“Yeah but now (Y/N) thinks–” He paused, exhaling in a way that sounded like another groan. “Nevermind. Did you even want anything?”
“Not really.” Ten smacked his lips, “If I avoided all the people you’ve slept with in my club then I would have had to go call you myself.”
“You should have since you’re so passionate about this. (Y/N) can make her own decisions, just leave it alone.” He flicked a pillow from behind Ten, making the guy fall back into the sofa.
Ten turned around, eyes laced with intention.
“You’re a coward Johnny.”
“Ten.” Taemin cautioned but his conviction did not falter.
“You need to grow up and have a real conversation with the girl you love.” He continued, giving his best friend a pertinent look. “You’re just punishing yourself and that girl for no reason.” His face softened for a moment, looking like he was pitying Johnny. “Sometimes we ruin things beyond repair by letting it be.”
“You need to,” Johnny took a step closer, “Leave it alone.” It was a plea, partially because he knew Ten was right.
“He’s right.” Taemin interjected, “You can’t meddle in his matters.”
"I'm not meddling." Ten hissed at his husband, "I'm tired of watching my best friend wallow in a misery of his own making." He looked at Johnny, "It won't go away if you ignore it. And it won't change till you do something about it. So why?" He asked.
Johnny rubbed his hand over his face, not in his right mind or place to have this conversation. “You don’t get it.” He said with a lost voice.
“You have to do something, Johnny. Do you expect to live in limbo?” Ten added.
He expected her to deal the death blow. Something he would not say out loud. This entire time he had expected— practically hoped— that she would be the one who would have left by now. He would have accepted it, he would have swallowed it as an inevitable, and he would have taken solace in having been right from the start. That she would get bored of him.
He had been so sure of it that he wasn't prepared for this. He hadn't accounted for ever making it this far.
Johnny nodded to Ten, a silent promise. His friend was right, no matter how much it pissed him off. Johnny knew he would at least have to make a decision soon.
__
(Y/N) walked away from Johnny with cold hands. This was it, her steps faltered. She walked as far away as she could. All the preparation she had done for that exact moment had evaporated with his words. She couldn’t believe that she ran away like she did, only delaying the inevitable.
He was ready to do it, she could feel it in her bones. She could read it all over his face.
I’m tired of this.
That was the exact indifference to the matter she had feared most of all.
Whatever.
It was like being stabbed by a rusted knife— messy and unnecessary in its cruelty.
Whatever, (Y/N).
Her head hurt, she pushed through to get deeper into the club. To somewhere she could not be found. She needed to prepare herself better for this. She was afraid she’d beg him to say, afraid she’d cry. This wasn't the place or the state of mind she needed to be in for this.
Whatever.
She took a deep breath. No, she needed to prepare herself better.
She couldn’t believe that he would do it here. And he would have. Her exhale came out irate, he would have held her in place and told her he was tired of her.
He would have finished the thought had it not been for the model. Miss belly button herself. Her next breath came out utterly furious.
She was tired of this too, she coaxed herself. Tired of being stuck in limbo with the most elusive man she could have possibly laid hands on. She was tired of loving him too, she lied to herself.
She stopped, realising that she was in the emerald alcove. Yuta’s favourite corner. It was a cosy spot lined by arches that circled the area, littered with chairs that were closer together. Each arch had large and thick curtains that were never drawn, but nonetheless served as a visual policy that added to the sense of seclusion it was meant to emulate.
It was also the part of the club where Johnny had fucked his blonde companion on that night.
(Y/N) shoved the thought out of her head as fast as it emerged. The first order of business would be to stop thinking about him all the damn time.
She picked up her drink from the bar, a sweet and potent cocktail this time, her kind of drink. Looking around to find a corner to sit in, her eyes landed on a man at the bar. One she recognised. One of the guys from the basement. The rough one with hooded eyes.
"The glasses really change your face." She sat down on the bar stool beside the one he occupied. The man looked up, surprised to see her.
"Usually people tell me how used to my glasses they are, that my face feels empty without them," He smiled to himself. "But I suppose we met under extraordinary circumstances." He tapped his glass, still giving her an odd look.
"You look disconcerted by the memory." She pursed a smile.
"Not particularly, I just didn't think I'd see you again. I'm a little surprised in all honesty." He commented.
"It's a small world." She shrugged.
"It's an even smaller guest list."
This time she did smile.
"I do finally understand why new faces are such a sensation around here." She continued into a new territory, enjoying the confusion on his face.
"Isn't it so?" He snapped back into a casual retort almost immediately. "It gets awkward really fast when everybody is a friend of a friend."
"Speaking of, where's your friend?" She looked around, wondering if he was close.
The guy smiled, almost like he was expecting it. "Why? Would you prefer his company to mine?"
She looked back, "I'm just curious." Her shrug was noncommittal.
"He must be around here somewhere." The man shrugged back, equally evasive. "We aren't friends, we just fuck sometimes. These big, important men and their secret need to be in the palm of someone's hand." He told her like she somehow knew what he was talking about.
She gave him a puzzled look that made him chuckle.
"I thought Johnny Suh used to wear copper as a joke." This time he steered the conversation into new waters, "But you, I always knew were the silver type." He pointed a finger at her, more victorious than accusatory.
"Nonsense." She laughed.
"You're a natural. I knew it on the day the man spent the entire evening on the floor with your foot in his lap."
"I," She paused, stunned at the mention of the day. From the perspective of a virtual stranger nonetheless. "I can't believe you saw that." She blushed, the memory coming back. It was a joke, something they did to see how their friends would react. It never occurred to her before now how it might look to an onlooker.
"Small pool." He shrugged, "When I first started coming here, I had my eyes on him. But it's easy to tell that he's not the surrendering type. So when I saw that, I couldn't help but have my eyes on you."
She was surprised by the easy confession, an effortless breeze .
"Did I live up to your expectations or was it disappointing?" She questioned, playing her surprise off as flirtation.
"Yes and no." The man smiled, pushing his specs higher up. "On one hand I've finally solved the mystery that is Johnny Suh."
"Oh.” She stopped to wonder if she should ask him to elaborate, thinking against it immediately after. “And on the other?" She asked instead.
"I really wish you did more than just watch."
Her mouth opened with evident surprise, the words so easily said. An absolute and uncomplicated request. The man laughed, clearly enjoying the surprise on her face. It made her snap back.
"Maybe in a few months, we can get back to this." She half joked.
"Months?" He winced, "Are you going on a trip?" He sniggered.
She smiled, not willing to elaborate any further.
"Something to look forward to nonetheless." He raised a glass, "I think your usual is waiting for you." He pointed over her shoulder, making her turn.
Her usual was sitting on one of the sofas, at a considerable distance. She wouldn't even have noticed him without the prompt.
"Well, your glasses work for sure." She squinted. "Trying to get rid of me?" She asked while trying to gauge Johnny's expression. She was unfortunately not wearing her own glasses.
The man laughed, "No, I just believe that some things are best left unbreached." His voice was careful.
She turned back, "And here I thought you were flirting with me."
"Oh I absolutely am. I just have different tastes. Also best left unencroached." He licked his lips.
Her eyes fell on the movement, "I have ears and an open mind." She looked up deliberately slow.
"I don't know, will you just using me to make a point?" He teased, eyes darting behind her.
"You don't seem to mind being used."
His cheeks turned red and it made her lips twitch. She had been denying herself the extent of what the club had to offer, (Y/N) realised.
The man's eyes went behind her again just as she heard shuffling. She rolled her eyes to the heaven's themselves. Eventually, she'd tire of Johnny's predictable antics. Maybe then she'd tire of her own too.
"Is she bothering you again?" Johnny put a hand on her waist, effortless and clear in its intention.
"We were just getting to know each other." The man smiled.
She realised that she hadn't caught his name yet.
"Are you finally socialising?" The question was blatantly aimed at her. But she pretended not to understand, turning to call the bartender over instead.
"A repeat?" The server pointed to her glass but she shook her head.
"Water."
"Time for us to go home, babe?" Johnny leaned down, his breathy question warning her neck. The heat from his hand burned her through her dress as well. The assumption in his words burning her pride.
"You're intruding." The words slipped from her tongue. She didn't look at Johnny but the other man looked up at him with a glint in his eyes.
Johnny laughed again, this time a little more nervous. Good, she thought. She was done pretending to take him in stride.
"(Y/N)–" Johnny began, his words careful.
"Go home, Johnny." She interrupted. "Didn't you say you were tired?" She turned to look at him. Johnny looked down at her with a heavy frown. She braced herself for some dreaded response. But he said nothing, just watching her for a fleeting moment in a way that gave her hope. Hope that immediately soured when he looked away.
"I'm actually tired." She said simply. "You might have to go look for belly button again. What was her name, again?"
"You never asked her name."
"Right. It's for the best, I suppose." She grit her teeth, hands tightening around her glass. "It would be a long day if I tried to keep up with them all."
His eyes glimmered with ill intention as he leaned closer to her face. Pride made her stand her ground, not look away.
"I've done it to you too. If you want me to do it again just ask." He licked his lips, a heated reminder of a few months ago when things were so very different. Every inch of her skin flushed.
"Fuck you." She spat, the implied consolation in the words enraging her from head to toe. Especially when he didn't sound consolatory at all.
She turned when she heard the chair beside her move.
"Leaving so soon?" She asked the man. He shrugged, adjusting his glasses and giving her a nod.
"Come on." Johnny nudged her, "We're done."
"No, I'm just getting started." She met his gaze from the corner of her eyes, You can go back to whatever cunt you crawled out of." She eyed Johnny's unruly hair, ruined by god knows what, truly at the tail end of her patience and pretence.
She turned back to give the man a smile, "I'm sorry, please just ignore him."
He gave an uneasy laugh, looking up at Johnny before back at her. Before the man could get another word in, she felt Johnny close in again. This time his fingers slid down her arms.
He did it so deliberately slow, so expertly, that apart from breaking into goosebumps, she also visibly shivered. His lips part against the shell of her ear, the sound rattling her spine.
"The only cunt I'm crawling in or out of is yours. I’m sure you’re smart enough to figure that out by now." He kissed the skin under her ear, making her shut her eyes. The words and the action did exactly what he intended. She melted against him, heart soaring at the confession.
The chair beside her slid back further, making her eyes open. "Never a boring day in this club." The man chuckled to himself, walking away after giving her a last wave and Johnny an amiable nod.
"I hate you." She spat at Johnny once he was gone.
"Okay." Johnny said, not even pretending to take her seriously. "Come, I want to fuck you." He brushed his fingers over her knuckles. The words made her stomach twist and clench. "I even wore your favourite little chain." He took her hand in his, the gold chain hanging from the wrist.
Her lungs slammed her heart, no doubt exhausted by its flightless fancies. He was giving her what she wanted. It was all she would have. Johnny was giving in to her for once.
Fuck. She cursed in her head. Just this once.
She still didn't turn to look at him, "Will you honour it?" The words came out easier than she would have liked. Johnny hummed against her ears, lifting her hand to his lips.
"Anything you want." He kissed the tips of her fingers one by one.
"Are you still playing your game?" Doubt made her ask the question, finally daring to turn just enough to see his face. She wanted him to say no. He looked up and remained silent instead.
Her ensuing exhale was one of surrender, "Fine, let's play."
A game was all it was, she supposed.
_
Johnny lay back in bed with a kind of cocky smirk that looked like he had already won. She couldn’t fathom what he was so proud about. But then again, he had no clue what was to come.
“How will you have me?” He asked, undeterred by the weight of any consequences. He put his arms behind his head, relaxing further into the bed. She didn’t answer him, turning her back to him to peek through the amenities drawer. After rummaging through all the intriguing objects, she settled on a long satin cloth. Running it between her fingers she closed her eyes to feel it, deciding that this would have to do.
When she turned, his eyes were waiting, taking the object in.
“Are you going to blindfold me to deprive me of your pretty face? Or will you do it to yourself to pretend I’m someone else. The man from earlier, perhaps?” He raised a brow.
She said nothing, keeping her eyes roaming and on anything but him. Gently, she put the cloth down at the very foot of the bed before walking into the washroom.
When she returned, Johnny’s brows were furrowed. He tried to smooth it out when she came into view, but the subconscious frown on his lips remained. It made her purse a smile.
For all his menacing ways, Johnny was a generous lover. His intention was to push her beyond the edges of her flimsy patience, going a little further each time till she was surprised at her own limits.
But he was also kind in a way that he didn’t realise. Johnny would take his time, but the man always gave in before he intended. True to his personality, he went with the flow and stayed starkly aware of his partner. She could always trust that he would never push her beyond a limit she could not handle.
She however was not the same. Not as seasoned as he was, she was driven solely by her need to stake a claim on his bottomless patience.
Her need to control him was unique to him only. (Y/N) had never desired to conquer a man like she wanted to conquer Johnny Suh. It made her petty and it made her unpredictable. He had known how to push her buttons from the first day she walked into this place. Even before that, Johnny always knew how to push her professionally. He drove her to blinding rage that left her vulnerable.
It made her mean in retaliation. Her method was to distress him in an effort to shatter his usual easygoing resolve. She liked to watch him beg as much as he did her, but more than that she liked to watch him as he let her get away with it all.
She was always at his fingertips. But he was also wrapped around her fingers. And she'd take every opportunity she had left to remind him of that.
He turned to look at her, trying to hide his growing impatience. She untied her hair, letting it fall over her shoulders with a sigh.
She stopped at the edge of the bed, eyes going over his entire form. Her eyes halted at his legs, returning to his waiting gaze with a silent instruction. Johnny decided to play dumb, raising both his brows in clueless question.
She didn't move, watching him with such impassive patience that a part of her was impressed by her own restraint. There was a silent stare off that she promised to win on account of the indignation she'd been holding at bay for two weeks.
Johnny smiled, a thought sparking his eyes.
"You do it." He stared at her, "Please?" His voice dripped with his taunt.
She turned away from him, walking back to the foot to pick up the sash she left. His eyes followed her as she came back. Sitting beside him, she placed her hand across his torso. Tilting her head to her shoulder she watched him for a second, eyes storming with contemplation.
"Come here." She finally said, fingers brushing over the buttons of his pants. He moved so fast that he almost threw them both off the bed. Her lips twitched and she had to look away to bite it back.
"We don't know each other." She said softly, fingers flicking the button off. When she looked up, Johnny's brows were furrowed in confusion. "We're strangers who met here today. That's the people we can pretend to be."
Johnny chewed on his bottom lip, looking like he wanted to say something.
"It's my turn. That's the part I want to play." She reinforced her idea, taking his silence as agreement.
Johnny nodded, confused but intrigued by where this was going. She was angry, it was plain to see. Johnny had never really seen how her fury looked when it boiled over. But he hadn't expected it to be this silent. He tried to push down the fear it brewed deep within his bones. With all his pushing, Johnny also knew how to pull back. So he allowed himself to go along with the game, hoping he hadn't pushed her too far.
When she did pull his pants down, Johnny's dick stood up like it was peering to catch a glance. As usual, a traitor. She unclenched her fingers, the sash falling on his legs. Still unsure of its purpose, he extended his hands to her, wrists held together.
She looked up at him with cold amusement, "Do you want to be restrained that bad?"
"What else could it be for?" He asked, voice betraying his impatience.
"You don't need to be tied, Johnny. You never do. It's not like something so flimsy would hold you anyway." He watched her toy with the object, gingerly wrapping one end of the cloth around her palm a few times. The other end still resting against his thigh.
"Then?"
"What? Don't trust me?" She raised an expectant brow.
"Right now, I'm not sure what you're going to do." He gave her a cautious gaze, yet again failing to gauge her state of mind.
"Just lie back."
So he did, he listened to her and relaxed back against the pillows.
She raised her hand flicking the sash up, the material brushed against his dick, making it twitch again. She did it again, moving it back and forth against his tip till he was clenching his thighs.
"What are you doing?" He asked between rapid breaths.
"Don't like it?" She questioned, meeting his gaze. When she moved it again, the smooth cloth brushed over the underside of his cock, grazing the vein that was now bulging. Johnny's hips lifted off the bed. "You seem to like it." She hummed.
She looked back down, spinning the sash around this time. The thing wrapped around his cock in hypnotising circles, covering the length with feather light brushes. When it brushed over his tip, Johnny had to close his eyes.
He had been so on edge all evening, so excruciatingly hard, that his dick was beyond sensitive. It made the delicate friction shoot liquid electricity up his legs, fresh blood pumping into his already stiff dick.
Then she tugged the ribbon with one harsh pull, the entire thing tightening around his length in one exquisite clench.
"Fuck." He groaned, hips bucking up again. "That's–" He began, but the material was already coming loose, making his eyes shoot open just as she let it fall slack.
Before words could form in his mind, before Johnny even tried, she was moving it back and forth again.
"What are you trying to do?" He asked, feeling as confused as he did aroused.
"I'm going to get you off. That's what you want, right?" She blinked up at his face, giving him an innocent look.
He wanted her to touch him. But that felt like a confession of subjugation.
"I'm not going to get off like this." He said instead. Her lips twitched, the glint in her eyes telling him that he'd said the wrong thing.
"Are you assuming, or is that a promise?" She questioned.
Johnny didn't respond, knowing well when he'd walked into one of her traps. She knew it too, returning to the task at hand with a chuckle.
"I'll take that as a promise then." She spoke softly, words as gentle as the satin that brushed against his dick over and over.
With each stroke, he felt the skin get more sensitive than he thought possible. His hips squirmed more frequently, eyes fluttering shut, the fabric edging him to insanity. The precum that was beading at his tip began to make each brush a little harsher.
It wasn't enough to even pretend to search for the beginnings of a build up. Yet it made his cock twitch a little more with each brush, just enough to feel good in what it was denying him. Johnny's lips parted when she wrapped the ribbon around his dick again, brows creasing as she tugged the thing tight around his length. He would have laughed at his state had he not felt so incredibly turned on.
"You love this." She seemed to choke on her own realisation, just as he felt the cloth begin to wrap around his dick again. Knowing what was coming, he braced himself. "Look at you, Whore." She clicked her tongue, "Your fingers are going to tear the sheets."
Heat spread from his forehead down his chest, suddenly too aware of the effect this was having on him.
"I'm trying not to grab your hair and put your mouth where it belongs." He opened his eyes, just in time for her to pull the sash taut again. A moan slipped past his open mouth.
"Where does my mouth belong?" She goaded him, "On your cock?" A dismissive hum slipped past her lips. "Looking at you now, I think my mouth is too good for you."
With that, Johnny could agree. Her mouth was too good for anyone. He wasn't sure that he wouldn't come the moment she so much as brushed her lips against it.
"You've kept me hard and waiting all night. There's only so much a man can take." His thighs unclenched as the ribbon released his length, falling around the base in circles.
"I told you to go bury your busy cock in some other hole."
"And I told you I only want to bury myself in you." He raised a brow, annoyed that she refused to believe him.
He saw the shift in her gaze and the red that tinted her cheeks.
"Let me feel how wet you are." The words rushed out with desperation, taking the liberty the moment gave him. Slowly, he dragged his hands closer to her. Despite the caution she was menacing, tightening the cloth against his base with a swift jerk. The friction made him wince, his hips lifting off the mattress again.
"Take your time with your game. I just want to see how much your pussy missed me."
Her breath came in and out in sharp waves, never too far to not be affected by the right words. Words he knew best.
"Behave." She warned him.
"No." He sat up, enjoying the uneven rise and fall of her chest.
"Alright." She said, letting the sash go entirely.
Johnny raised his head, a little surprised by her agreement. He also couldn’t believe the pang of disappointment that racked through him at the loss of the touch.
"Take your shirt off." She pointed her chin to his chest.
Experience told Johnny that there was a catch, but it also told him to do what he was told. He took off his buttons rapidly, afraid she'd change her mind.
“You’re very eager.”
“I’ve had a long night.”
She got off the bed, bending over to pull her panties off. Johnny licked his lips before he could truly understand and control the urge. She caught the sight, lips cocking in an arrogant smirk. Both of them turned to catch his dick twitch.
She stood up once the garment was off, walking back towards him while Johnny curbed the urge to demand she take her dress off too.
Slowly, she got on the bed. Resting either knee over his waist, Johnny put his arms behind his head to watch her straddle him. Feeling cocky himself, he let a smirk light his lips. When she caught it, her own smirk looked to pity him.
“You’re also very presumptuous.” She started moving forwards. His tip brushed against her clit as she moved, both of their breaths seizing in tandem.
To his surprise, she got a hold of herself before he did, lifting herself higher to avoid a repeat.
Having already lost the upper hand in the situation, Johnny parted his lips. “Do it again.” He asked shamelessly.
She ignored the words, not even refusing or reminding him of his current station. When she sat down, it was on his abdomen. For a moment, his senses blurred.
Johnny could feel the smooth glide of her wet slit, practically slipping.
“Fuck Kitten, You’re so wet.” He hissed, stomach clenching tight along with his fist as he resisted the desire to grab her waist.
“I’ve always wanted to do this.” She breathed out, the shake in her voice betraying the intensity of the sentiment.
“Just listen to your sopping pussy squelch for me.” He groaned, head falling back as he heard the sound of her pressing against him. “You just love using me, don’t you?”
“How can you tell? Are you used to being used?” She questioned.
Johnny thought it was a joke, lifting his head with humour in his eyes. But upon meeting her gaze, he saw it bore into him, looking displeased.
Right.
He forgot they were strangers.
“I know the type.” He answered after several moments.
“Oh? A lot of experience in the area?”
“Mmhm.” He hummed.
Both her hands pressed against his chest, “Eager and presumptuous men should be used once in a while. Keeps you grounded, don’t you agree?” Her hips slid forward, head falling over almost immediately.
She bit back a moan. Johnny smiled.
“I’m not sure I do.”
“No?” Her next glide came as Johnny flexed his stomach, pulling a hiss from her. “You need a change in perspective.”
“Is that what you’re here to do? Enlighten me?” He raised a brow.
She nodded, eyes fluttering closed. With each glide of her hips, it got harder for her to hold still. Soon, her legs were tightening around his waist. They still shook, despite the tight grip.
“Your legs will be sore tomorrow.” Johnny warned.
"You should be more concerned about yourself right now."
"I think I'm doing good." He sighed, lips lifting in a relaxed smile.
"That's unfortunate. We can't have that." Her breath stuttered as Johnny flexed his stomach in retaliation.
Johnny scoffed, "You just love to make it harder for yourself, don't you? Just wait till later."
"Later?" She hummed, hips coming to a halt. "Do you think you'll see me again?"
Johnny chewed on the inside of his cheek. That was not funny to him at all. It leeched what little enjoyment he had and he had to close his eyes to take in a furious breath as she began humping into him again.
(Y/N) couldn't tell why he had gone quiet all of a sudden. She wasn't supposed to care, she wasn't going to. He was doing what she had intended to do. She told herself that his silence was also a tactic. That is why she felt bothered. Her hands pressed against his chest with more urgency, the movement of her hips getting faster.
"Enjoying yourself?" He asked after so long that she gasped at the sudden sound. She nodded, her pace increasing as she felt the knot in her stomach tie itself tighter.
She looked up at his eyes, this close the building pleasure in her core muffled her brain further. (Y/N) leaned in, eyes fixed on his lips. Everything aside, she always missed kissing him the most.
She didn't expect his hand to move at all, nonetheless to grab her chin. He squeezed her cheeks harshly, lifting her face to meet his gaze as he sat up.
"I don't kiss strangers." He reminded her, making her crumble inside. "Understood?" He raised an irate brow. She nodded and he let go as fast as he had grabbed her, bringing his hands back to his sides and relaxing again.
Her pace slowed down a little despite herself. She felt rattled by the words.
Right.
She forgot that he could be cruel too when he wanted to be. At least in these cases, they were true equals.
After losing her rhythm, the tightness in her belly slipped away. No matter how fast she moved her hips, what angle or pattern she tried, she felt frustratingly far away from the build up that never came.
"You don't seem to be doing too good. Need help?" His words were a taunt. She thought it best to ignore it, moving down to sit atop his length. Johnny's head fell back as a sigh left her.
"I think I can manage." She muttered, too distracted by her own frustrations.
"I don't think you can." He spoke through a tight jaw, "Ever used a man before, honey? I don't think you know how to do this." He continued to provoke her.
"And you do?" She asked, sliding over his length. Both of them gasped when his tip nudged her clit, leaving his length wet from her leaking insides. "You look too busy being pussy drunk."
"I'm nothing if not a multi-tasker." He groaned, hips bucking once before he pressed it back down with the sheer force of his will.
She smiled, "That's a lot of promises."
"Give me a chance and I'll show you."
She thought about the first time he was at her mercy like that, the time feeling like it was years ago instead of just one. His every overconfident claim drove her mad, even more so when he lived up to each claim and more.
She thought about her first night here, not even strangers back then. She thought about the first time she had met him. About how she knew him as the man who had built himself a monolith.
In truth, Johnny had never been a stranger to her. She walked into her interview the same way she had walked into the room much like this one a year ago.
Absolutely enamoured by him.
She stopped moving entirely, "Fine."
Johnny lifted his head to look at her, "What?"
She thought about the little things that could have been different the first time around. Whether they would have produced a different outcome.
"Show me." She lifted her arms, surrendering to him.
His hands came to her back in a flash, lifting her and dropping her down in a heartbeat. Her head fell on the very edge of the bed, knocking the air out of her.
"Are you sure?" He asked, eyes boring into hers.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, "Have you known me to offer anything if I wasn't?"
He raised a brow, forehead gathering. "I thought we didn't know each other."
"Your turn." She told him.
The words made him chew on his bottom lip, his free arm tracing up and down her leg and driving her wild.
"Alright. Sit up." He nodded, pulling back.
Confused, she regardless did what he asked. As she sat up, his hands came to her waist, keeping her on his lap.
Her nose knocked into his, the proximity to his stormy eyes making her dizzy.
"First thing," He whispered, hand coming to her hair. "We don't need these." He unclasped the pin that held the chain in her hair, taking the one on his wrist off right after.
She gave him a confused look but didn't question it.
"We play my parts now." His breath hitched, "There are no winners. I don't want to fight, I don't want to win. I don't want to be strangers." She heard the small clink of the two chains being placed on the table, his eyes coming back to hers right after, "I want to make love to you." He kissed her eyelid.
Her chest crumbled at the words, caving in and grinding itself into pieces. Helplessly, she nodded.
He shifted, gently placing her head on the pillows.
"Wrap your legs around my waist." He whispered, words as delicate as his actions. She did what she was told.
"Why are you doing this?" She couldn't help but ask, needing an answer.
"You said you wanted to be furthest from who we are. We're already strangers, (Y/N). Despite everything, I still don't know you."
"You could just ask." She whispered, brushing her knuckles over his chin. "I'd tell you anything you want. All you have to do is ask."
Johnny's eyes steeled over at the words and she bit down on her lips hard, cursing herself for letting her sentiments get ahead of her.
"You were truly born to drive me crazy." He groaned, leaning down to kiss her jaw. She froze, expecting him to kiss her. But his lips moved lower instead, hands coming up to the ends of her bunched dress.
"Taking this off." He mumbled against her skin. She nodded.
He pulled back to do the task, watching her with intoxicating intensity as she lifted her hips off the bed.
"So beautiful." He sighed, "I don't understand how you're mine." He breathed out, making the growing cavity in her chest swarm with butterflies. The lines between pretence and reality blurred long before they even existed.
"The same way you're mine." She dared to say, the thought itself as devastating as it was euphoric.
Johnny groaned with approval, hands slipped between them to pull her panties off, "Should I ease you into it?" He asked, finger brushing over her entrance.
Despite seeing white spots in her vision at the touch, she shook her head. "No, I'm good."
His head lifted, eyes coating with tenderness, something she didn't realise she had been yearning for, "Still, it's been a while."
She tugged at the edge of his shirt, bringing him closer, "Your dick is inside me more than it's outside it." She wiggled under him, her impatience already fighting with her need to cherish this moment, "I promise you, I can take it." She huffed.
"What a filthy mouth," He curled his smiling lips, leaning forward till their foreheads touched. She held her breath, again expecting him to kiss her, but he just brushed his lips over the corner of her mouth. "Did you miss my cock?"
"Johnny," She whined, "Please. I need you."
"Answer me, (Y/N)." He asked and she nodded.
Her eyes screwed shut, "I–Fuck." Her words jumbled, when she felt him nudge against her writhing hole.
"Did you?" He asked with a wispy voice, stuttering.
More than anything else, she missed him. All of him. The confession at the very tip of her lips, threatening to flow.
They were playing a part she reminded herself. For a few moments, she was safe behind it.
She forced her eyes open, "It was you I missed. God I miss you so much I might just go mad."
Johnny forsake his control, slowly beginning to ease himself into her. Every muscle in her body went stuff, endless mutters leaving her lips.
"Really?” He asked through his teeth.
"Every goddamn day." She responded with the same gritted jaw.
He hummed, sounding infuriatingly unconvinced. "Why didn't you come to me then?" He stopped after only a few inches, pulling back out again.
"You told me you wanted a break. From me. What was I supposed to do? You weren't even here. You did everything you can to avoid me."
"You did it to me too." He muttered. To her surprise he pouted, the gesture giving her whiplash as he entered her again a little further this time. "You're so wet, baby. So tight." He groaned, eyes shutting for a moment like he was taking it in.
Baby. It was something he had never called her before. Her insides clenched around him in the same way her heart squeezed around those words— holding the moment as tight as she could. He'd used an array of words to refer to her, to call her, to praise her and degrade her. Yet nothing ever felt like this one. As unassuming as it was. Maybe she was actually mad.
"I can't come and just demand your attention. I'm not like you, I just can't do it." She huffed, frustrated and relieved at the same time.
"You're always demanding my attention."
"That's untrue."
"Is it?"
It wasn't. She did always make an effort to be at the forefront of her mind. Of course like many other things, she'd assumed she was good at keeping it covert. In actuality, like most other things, he was just letting her get away with it.
But this was different. This wasn't about teasing him or toying with his need for excitement. This was him wanting a change. She knew that because he told her as much. It hurt her beyond consolation and she couldn't be in front of him with that.
It had been a year and she had probably become stale to him.
"Why are you fighting with me?" She said instead of acknowledging those things, "I thought you wanted to be in love?"
"This is how love feels like," He looked over her face. "So I'm told." He marched the words with the slow retreat of his length.
On this, she could agree with him. Of all the things people had to say about love, no one warned her how gut wrenching it could also be. She'd hate it if the good parts hadn't made up for it and more.
Her overwhelmed mind made the next question spill, "What does it feel like to you?" She asked him, not sure what she was expecting.
"Like this." He sighed, beginning to push so slightly back inside her. "Like being inside you."
The words made her clench around him yet again. She wanted nothing more than for him to mean those words. Moments like this made her wonder just how she had managed to mask her real feelings for so long. Especially now, when every inch of her seemed to be bursting with it.
"Kiss me, Johnny." Her eyes fluttered open, swallowing whatever remained of her pride to ask for what he already denied her. “Show me just how much you love me."
Johnny’s eyes softened like they melted— glistening despite being in the shadow.
Then his lips pressed against hers and she felt like her entire being lit up with the brunt of her relief. Her hands came to his neck, his to her hips, holding each other like it was the only thing they knew.
She sighed into his mouth without meaning to, the faintest moisture collecting in the corner of her eyes. She had truly missed kissing him. He had ruined the act of it. He had given her the privilege of kissing her, and now she considered it a privilege outright.
It would also be the thing she would miss the most. That and his smile, the sound of his voice when he laughed, the way he said her name. (Y/N) wondered if she'd ever truly be able to kiss another person again.
Johnny's lips moulded over hers like they were completing a puzzle. His hand stroked her thigh gently as her head tilted up to deepen the kiss. He kissed her slow and he kissed her fast, taking his time to navigate each familiar crevice. His sigh was touching, one of relief and comfort. She could get lost in that alone, locking the sound away in her memories.
She'd miss him so much when he was gone that she missed him already. Her arms pressed him closer to her, with more urgency. When he trailed his kisses down her neck, she used the opportunity to wipe her eyes against her shirt, still hanging on his shoulder.
Now Johnny entered her completely, and it took her breath away. Her arm squeezed his neck, his shoulder muffling her moan.
"Good?" He questioned, more as a gauge of her state than to fish for compliments.
"The best." She couldn't help herself if she tried. When he probed the thicker part of her walls she moaned his name so loud that she was sure it could be heard all the way to the basement.
"Yes right there." She added once the stars in her vision dulled.
"Yes, I know." He chuckled, peppering kisses all over her neck and cheek. "I know." He reassured.
"Don't stop." She whined, the pleasure mixing with the flurry of emotions to drive her mad. "Johnny, please."
"I won't." The words accompanied a tender hush. "I've got you." He promised.
"Johnny, I'm so—" He cut her off by grabbing her chin, lifting himself higher and making her look into his eyes.
"I love you. You." He tripped over his words. "I love you so much. More than life itself." He groaned, brows furrowing. "Fuck, you were just made for me and I spend all my time thinking about just that." His thrusts started to get sloppy, only spurred on by her tight grip around him. "That and just how much I fucking love you."
Her lips parted on their own accord, "Johnny, I–" But the words were cut off by a moan as he came with a sudden shiver. The feeling of his come shooting inside her sending her into her own orgasm as he kept up his ridiculous pace.
(Y/N) had never felt hollow the way she felt when he pulled out of her after what felt like hours of just laying there. She couldn't even feel the relief of his weight lifting off her chest.
He was staring at her from the side, she could feel his eyes looking her over, analysing each movement on her face. When he took in a breath— to say something, she got out of bed. Once again fear grabbed at her, mind filling with every possible explanation he would have to dismiss everything that had just happened.
"I should get cleaned up." She mumbled to the floor, not even bothering to gather any of her clothes. She just went into the bathroom and stayed in the tub. Long enough to be sure he was asleep.
Or gone.
_
(Y/N) woke up to the feel of Johnny’s hand sliding up her legs, resting on her hip. She smiled, pulling her head back to look at him through her slitted gaze.
“Morning.” Johnny’s voice, as deep as it was on most mornings, was too cautious. Her brows knit, confused for a moment. Then the previous night came back to her, reminding her that this wasn’t most mornings.
She hummed in response, “Where did you get pajamas?” She asked, eyeing the dark green t-shirt and pants that she was certain weren’t from his closet.
“The bottom drawers in the dresser always have a pair or two.” He informed her, the first she heard of this.
“Why didn’t I get one?” Her brows gathered. Johnny just gave her a cheeky grin.
“We haven’t spent a night here before, have we?” He questioned her.
“I haven’t.” She mumbled, shifting to bury her face further in his neck then she found it when she woke. But the reminder had ruined the harmless mood.
Pulling away felt too awkward to pull off so she just tried to shift again. Johnny must have read her mind because his arm came back to her leg, pulling it up on his own and leaving a chaste kiss on her forehead. A sigh left her lips, finding comfort in the familiar situation despite the circumstances. The air in the room was, nonetheless, tense. She told herself she'd take away these moments as relics.
None of them spoke to fill the silence. In truth, there was nothing to say. Only when it got too hot did she pull back from him.
Silently, (Y/N) slipped out of bed, looking around to spot her clothes. A knock on the door made her rise, grabbing one of the robes that always hung from the bathroom door.
She opened it to find Charlie, one of the servers, standing with her things in his hand.
“Mr. Nakamoto sent your things.” He reached his hands out with her bag, “I took the liberty of bringing Mr. Suh’s things as well.” He handed her the paper bag as well.
“Thank you, Charlie.” She smiled, “I heard that you’re getting married?” She beamed and the man blushed in response, giving her a shy nod.
The overnight bag she had packed for Yuta’s house was heavy and made it difficult to open it with both hands full. She reached into the packet in which Charlie handed over Johnny’s belongings, taking his wallet out to pick out a note to hand to the man for his efforts.
“Next time you’re manning the bar, I want to know how you met your partner.” She smiled at him and he thanked her for the tip. Once she closed the door, she could put the bags down. Sighing from the release of the burden, she opened her bag to fish her own wallet out, replacing the money she took from Johnny.
“You didn’t have to do that.” His voice came from behind. She turned, finding him leaning against the wall and watching her carefully, arms crossed in front of his chest. She just shrugged in return, coming up to hand him his things before walking into the bathroom.
When she emerged, she was dressed for the day. Johnny was laying in bed with his feet on the floor, looking up from his phone when she walked into his line of vision.
“Where are you going?” He asked, brows furrowed like he was somehow expecting her to stay.
“Yuta and I are supposed to have brunch today. Hyuck too.” She spoke while clasping her watch.
“The breakfast here is pretty good. You can just eat downstairs.” Johnny sat up, phone dropping on his chest and then on the bed.
She looked up at him, lost. Breakfast was another thing she did not know the club provided.
Johnny seemed to catch on, eyes lighting up with amusement. "Really, it's like a hotel if you can ignore the large bowls of condoms everywhere."
She laughed under her breath, “Ten’s more entrepreneurial than you are.”
“I’ll have you know that it was my idea.” He said defensively, smiling nonetheless.
“Oh.” She chuckled, “My apologies. The condoms or the breakfast?" Picking up her shoes, (Y/N) sat down at the edge of the bed.
"The breakfast. The condoms are more of a legal failsafe. Your department more than mine."
Both of them laughed.
The next several moments were silent till she finished putting on her shoes, his hand coming to her waist as she started getting up.
He snaked the arm around her to halt her efforts, “Stay.” It was a single word packed with a heavy request. She could feel his eyes on her in the mirror in front of them, keeping her own gaze fixed on the floor.
“I can’t.” It was an equally simple response, laced with a heavy implication. She looked up at the mirror, meeting his gaze. “We have reservations.” It was a flimsy excuse that seemed to get a rise out of him.
His soft eyes hardened, “You came prepared to stay the night, it seems.” His eyes drifted to her large bag.
It was a petty thing to say and for a moment she wondered if she should lie, give him the shot of provocation that he was seeking when he said the words. But the antagonism that filled the previous night had weighed down on her. She was tired.
"My original plan was to go for dinner and crash at Yuta's. It was Hyuck who insisted on coming here.”
Johnny hummed, the sound heavy with the words he held back, unconvinced. It made her turn to him, “I have no reason to lie to you.” The words were the simple truth and she could tell that it did the very thing she was trying to avoid.
Her eyes wandered over his face, taking in the way he was trying to hide his outrage. She wondered if it was his ego or if she wanted to delude herself into thinking he actually cared. “All this time and I still don’t understand you.” She bit the corner of her mouth, regretting the words for the argument it would spur.
“It’s not like you ever ask.” He slid closer, nose knocking against hers. His eyes looked up from her lips expectantly.
She wondered if he wanted a question or a kiss.
Her phone rang while she debated and she told herself it was divine intervention. Except it was just her best friend.
“Ask Johnny if he wants to go for brunch with us.” Yuta skipped the greetings to land the poignant jab. Of course he already knew who she was with. There was never going to be anybody else.
“No.” She got up from the bed, gathering her things.
Despite every ounce of sense telling her otherwise, she turned to look at him, meeting his gaze to give him a silent farewell. There was the brimming fear of this being the last time, afterall.
The thought made her still. She had to shake her head and look away.
“Meet me downstairs. Did you find Hyuck?” She asked, walking out of the room.
__
Another week passed and (Y/N) had begun the process of mourning. Taking the last two days of the work week off, she had holed herself up in the safety of her apartment for three days now. The time had been spent consuming enough sugar to remind herself that she never had a sweet tooth, before shifting to the store of sour candy that was seemingly endless. Putting the first one in her mouth made her eyes well.
Finally, she started looking for a different job, her constantly blurring eyes making the task take much longer than intended.
That Saturday night, she fell asleep trying to imagine how she would hand in her resignation to him. What could she even say? How would she avoid explaining to him that she couldn’t be around him.
She simply was not as aloof as she wanted both of them to believe.
The building phone never rang. The day doorman never had to see people come to her apartment unless they were with her or he knew them as her regular guests. The one on the night shift was new.
Her first thought was the most obvious one. It was Johnny, it had to be. But she reminded herself that she had other people in her life. It could be Yuta with some ridiculous situation that only he could have. It could be Doyoung since she had let it slip that her non-relationship with her boss was beginning to sizzle off.
“Hello?” She finally answered the phone.
“I’m sorry Miss, there’s a man here that refuses to give his name. He says you know who it is. I told him that you don’t take visitors this late.”
She huffed. That reduced her guesses to two of the three. Nonetheless, she was grateful for the man’s caution.
“I’ll be down in a moment.” She sighed.
The elevator dinged and she clenched her hands inside the pocket of her hoodie. The one that was not hers. Despite her reasonings, she of course knew who was the moment the phone rang.
Johnny stood in the lobby with his hands on his hips, a frown set deeply on his face. His hair glistened under the lights and her eyes drifted to the doors behind him.
It was raining.
“Your new place is definitely high on safety.” He remarked, lips still downturned. "Your doorman thinks I'm a thief who'd walk through the front door." He pointed behind him, a small grunt leaving his frustrated lips.
She loved him, she realised for the millionth time. This time with a sudden jolt. Despite every rational thought begging her to do otherwise. She loved him so dearly and so hopelessly that she didn't know what to do with it at all.
Johnny looked restless, his feet tapping against the floor. She could understand and she could forgive it. That was how much she loved him.
She loved him. A sigh of relief left her, like the crashing of waves on a rocky shore after it finally met land. It was useless to pretend otherwise. She loved him and she'd let him in anytime he showed up.
He was in a suit, the rain ruining the fabric permanently. She wondered why he was in one on a Saturday at midnight.
His hands dropped to his side, “You haven’t been coming to work.” He said as the gap between them began to close with each stride. “I was preparing for the quarterly distributor meeting and Kun’s notes made no sense. He’s on a work trip too. I had to call the entire legal team into work today because all of the copyright issues seem to be funnelled through you.”
She stopped a few metres short of being in his personal space. “I’m entitled to my leaves.”
“Then you should brief the team properly so work doesn’t stop when you aren’t around.”
He was right, she gave him a nod to affirm it as well.
“Did you get what you needed?” She asked, flexing her fists in the safety of the deep pockets of the hoodie.
“Yes. The intern, Hendery, had a decent idea. I hired him tonight.”
“Good. He’s good enough to replace me with enough training.”
Johnny’s frown went from expressing discontent to a confused one. She'd put the hint in his mind now.
“HR said you’re sick.” Johnny mumbled after a moment of silence, shuffling.
“It’s a cold. I just needed the time off to feel better.”
Johnny nodded, hands coming back to his hips. He kept nodding, deep in thought.
“Is that the reason you came all the way here? I was sleeping.” She finally huffed, feeling the brunt of her own indignation suddenly.
His brows knit, arm coming up so he could glance at his watch.
“Oh.” His face smoothened in one go, “I didn’t realise it was this late. I was just driving around to clear my head.” He slowly put his hand down, biting down on his bottom lip.
She finally took her own hands out of her pockets, only to cross her arms in front of her chest. She knew why he was here, but she wanted him to admit it. She needed him to confirm so she could act like she wasn't giving in without a fight. Her dignity was the one thing she wanted to walk away with.
“I’m sorry!” He finally huffed, following with a groan that came from somewhere deep inside him. She blinked, incredibly surprised. “Is that what you want me to say?” He huffed again.
The last part ticked her off, “I don’t want you to say anything. What are you sorry for? Is it for waking me up because that is fair, but it’s not the first time you’ve done it.” The words were deliberately cautious.
Johnny groaned, running a hand over his face. “You’re making this so much harder than it needs to be.”
“What are you sorry for?” She asked, raising her chin and burying her brimming hope.
He gave her a look of furious disbelief.
“For once,” He groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose like he was second guessing himself.
“What?” She asked with more anger bubbling in her words, taking two steps closer. He took notice, his own two steps closing their gap. Now they were in each other’s personal space.
“For once, can’t you give in to me?” There was a desperation that made the edge of his words blunt.
She stared at him with disbelief. "From the moment I met you I've only ever given into you."
"I'm not talking about that. I'm not talking about work, or bed. I mean your pride. Put it aside for once. Tell me you want me. Give in to me." He took just another step closer.
Remembering the place, she turned to the doorman, “You can let him in next time.” She raised her voice enough to be heard by the man.
Her gaze softened when it came back to Johnny and she prayed to god that he couldn’t see the glisten in them. Finding a real touch too scathing to execute, she settled for hooking her finger through one of his belt loops.
"You wouldn't be here if you believed I don't."
"I'm here because I'm giving up. I'm done. I don't want a change, I want you."
The confession washed her in a flood of relief. She would love him as long as he'd let her.
"And I came down here because I'm giving in. I don't want a break. Either leave me once and for all or never say that to me again."
Johnny chewed on his bottom lip, taking in the tempest in her eyes.
“Take me upstairs.” He asked like that wasn’t exactly where she was taking him. Like it wasn’t the inevitable outcome he had in mind when he walked into the lobby. For all his claims, he knew how quick she gave into him. “You can sleep, you look so tired. I don't want anything, I just want to be here.”
“You will sleep too.” She announced, turning away to pull him towards the elevator.
Once on the elevator, a thought made her freeze, “The place is a mess.” She warned him, remembering the cave she had turned the place into in the past week.
He gave her a cautious look, “(Y/N). Baby.” He laughed, her gut kicking up an assault at his tender tone. “Your place is always a mess.”
She frowned, taking her hand out of his to smack his chest.
“Hey!” She huffed.
Johnny groaned, a grin tugging at his lips after.
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a kiss & a dress shirt | johnny | oneshot
genre: syrup, fluff, valentine’s day special
pairing: johnny x fem!reader
bean count: 4.4k+
a/n: not me crying in singleness while writing this 🥹this fluffy coffee was meant to be posted a day ago but i kept rewriting because i wasn’t satisfied and now it’s longer than i expected lmao 👀 anyway enjoy my very late valentine’s day gift for you my beans ☕️💚
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people have been talking about the popular trio in your year. they even got other students from different universities seeing them outside the gates after classes.
among the three of them were the handsome and musically talented lee taeyong, the smiling sunshine and varsity football player nakamoto yuta, and the ever sexy, volleyball loving sweetheart photographer johnny suh.
they were always the talk of the campus since freshmen year and their presence emitted a strong pull that you only knew how celebrities did. were they that attractive? yes. although the trio were indeed popular, most of them were gushing on the so-called “twins”: taeyong and yuta, with the latter being a transferee from osaka, japan.
the third one, however, didn’t have everyone’s eyes on him as much as taeyong and yuta. he was still talked about though, and they’d talk about johnny suh being the sexy one out of the three and only loved- and i quote: only talked about his bread-like abs during sport events.
it was a biased statement and agreed consensus that everyone had to which you beg to differ. there was so much more to him behind than his muscular physique, you guessed.
as the recent saying goes: “in every trio, there is…”and in this particular trio in your year, johnny suh, who hails from chicago, was the one to have got your attention the most. he was your type, so much that he was the only one you noticed behind the sparkles that shone around the other two.
johnny simply stood out. and quite literally. he was mysterious like a cat, but aggressive like a tiger in the court.
you weren’t one to be so smittened with just anyone. your heart has never been swayed this much as far as you could remember. because you- out of your friend group at least- was hard to please and very choosy.
mina at the moment asked how you managed to have a crush on johnny. and you smiled so stupidly recalling how he stood in front of you and used his hand to block a powerful spike that nearly hit your face.
you remembered the gush of wind that swept in front and his perfume that was oddly refreshing despite it being mixed with sweat. looking up, there was one feature of his you definitely liked. and you simply answered, “he.. saved me from a spike.”
and by the time you looked up at her while your fork spun around the pasta, never have you ever seen mina with an expression that was close to a meme.
“that’s it?” she put down her spoon. “you fell in love because of that?”
you rolled your eyes, “i’m not in love with him, it’s called a crush. they’re different.”
she giggled softly, “well it’s leaning towards that, y/n. i’m glad you finally opened up your heart this time.”
lisa laughed at that comment, “clearly at someone real and not a fictional character. johnny’s in my photography major. he’s usually alone but he got people staring at him more than the actual professor in every lecture.”
“and you’re telling me this because?” you chewed on your food but still maintaining eye contact with her.
“because despite being the “sexy one”, i heard he’s single and is planning to ask someone out in our year for valentine’s.” lisa shrugged and snorted at how you choked on your meal hearing that.
mina gave you a glass of water and lightly slapped lisa’s shoulder, “you good? i mean, y/n, this is your chance to ask him out too.” making you cough on your drink. your best friends turning to each other and giving each other a high-five.
“they’re probably just baseless rumours, girls.” you wiped your mouth, trying to ignore whatever they were saying.
though at the back of your mind, going on a date with johnny suh was a wishful thinking. you guys were friends to begin with, acquaintances rather, through lisa and taeyong’s relationship.
the faint cheers and giggles from your table had johnny’s group of friends looking. taeyong smiled at his girlfriend lisa, who was obviously aware with the fact she might’ve told you about how johnny’s current relationship status was.
yuta nudged the sides of taeyong’s waist, “you think johnny will ask any of lisa’s friends? we could go on a triple date this year.”
taeyong sipped from his juice box, his doe eyes never leaving her side profile. “you bet, johnny’s already decided on who to take for valentine’s.”
yuta crossed his arms, his black nail polish evident on his fingers. he grinned while he stared at a certain someone. “he better not take mina, i got dibs on her.”
“who says i’m taking mina?” the guys immediately turned around to see johnny behind them. johnny took a peek the girls they just conversed about. “i’ll be asking y/n out for valentine’s.”
the two snickered at him, “about time. but you say it as if it’s your first valentine date ever.”
“please, i was asked more than you two combined but i expected that they always want one thing. so i declined.” johnny pointed out blankly and the guys knew already.
“shoot, a one night stand after the date?” yuta licked his lips before breaking out in a laughter. “well someone’s choosy. you are built better than us so i get what the girls want.”
johnny just smirked at the ridiculous claim he has heard quite a number of times. for once, he just wanted to have a normal date. the previous dates he went on before weren’t what he wanted or even looking for.
taeyong put his bag on the bench while they all sat around the table. “so what made you decide on taking y/n this year?”
johnny’s reddening ears caught the guys beside him off guard. that alone already confessed so many things. “i like her.. like a lot. i think it was since the beginning of the semester.”
taeyong’s smile faded when he felt that johnny was serious. and he knew whenever his best friend johnny is that serious about something, he’d do anything to make his point clear.
yuta, on the other hand, was just enjoying what he sees and decided to tease the boy a little more though he was quite scary. “so that’s why you did that move? when you saved her from the spike a while back?”
johnny coughed on his lunch, he was busted. never had he experienced anyone putting him on the hot seat before because that was his job in the first place.
the boys decided to tease him further more the whole lunch by saying you were probably asked by other guys already because today was the 13th. johnny’s eyes widened realising he’s lost track of time.
you should still be available, right?
his eyes searched for you, hoping you were still around and definitely still have the 14th vacant for him. he felt his heart beating out of his chest and didn’t stop its speed when he spotted you laughing with lisa and mina.
he didn’t care what other people would think. he knew the effect he had on almost everyone by being the tall, sexy, young man he was referred to.
but they wouldn’t know the effect you had on him at all.
they wouldn’t know how much he liked you. til today.
so he stood up, putting his nervousness behind him and walked up to where you were. “y/n.” you looked up to the sweet voice that called your name, so mesmerised with the fact that your crush is literally in front of you.
whispers and chatters of students around the cafeteria made you nervous. you knew johnny though you thought you were dreaming, you couldn’t stop thinking about one thing: ‘why me?’
johnny’s hand reached into his pocket and took out four tickets. those you recognised as movie and amusement park tickets respectively. “i don’t normally do this so i’m just as nervous as you are..” he scratched the back of his head, ears as red as his cheeks. “y/f/n, will you be my valentine this year?”
mina and lisa squealed in a happy panic while shaking each other’s shoulders, with lisa taking a photo to commerate a historical moment. “this is it!”
your ears heated up and your eyes never left his face. johnny too, couldn’t keep his eyes off of you. you were beautiful in a way he couldn’t explain. sure, you weren’t exactly his type before but now he was certain you ticked all of his boxes.
blinking a bit, your mouth couldn’t stop quivering into a smile. you were so lucky today.
johnny didn’t like the suspension that he was almost breaking into a sweat. were you going to say yes-
“yes.”
he gasped, and he bit his lip. “y-yes?”
“mhm.”
johnny curled his fists and punched one into the air. “oh my g- yes!” hearing his friends behind him howling and cheering, he sighed a puff of relief. then he regained his composure and said rather confidently, “thank you. i’ll pick you up tomorrow at 10am?”
“the movie’s at 9, johnny.” you shook the tickets before standing up to go to your next lecture. “so i’ll see you earlier then.”
he watched your figure leave the cafeteria with your friends, giving him a small wave and a smile. and he was dazzled. his crush on you was getting somewhere.
other girls ran up to him and blocked his way with questionable faces and tried to hand in their letters and chocolate to him.
“johnny, why did you ask y/n? i’m better!”
“she’s a nobody!”
“you could’ve asked me instead!”
“so unfair!”
“ugh do i have to wait next year again?”
taeyong could see the discomfort in johnny’s face but still found it funny how he never broke eye contact at you.
“boy’s smittened.”
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lost in thought, you weren’t sure how long you were standing in front of your full length mirror so early in the morning. sighing, you should’ve listened to lisa last night to wake up early.
and now she’s nagging at you with a toothbrush in her mouth. “what did i tell you? we’re all dressed up but you.”
you rubbed your eyes to remove the sand that built up overnight. “yeah but my clothes got dirtied by mina and her coffee.”
mina gasped as she curled her hair, pointing her curler at you. “in my defense, who puts their outfit on the dining table?”
raising your hands, you admitted defeat. “me, okay? i woke up late. so save me a lecture.”
the girls laughed, they knew you were nervous as heck for your first ever valentine’s date. it was a first that johnny himself asked someone out in public even though he was a very private person. but they also knew how you and johnny suh were a good match. it was undeniable.
so lisa took something out from a paper bag and gave it to you, saying to save it for tonight.
taking a peek at the item, you screamed in disgust and threw it back to her. “lisa!”
“what?” she laughed, her pearly whites and smile was so contagious that it made mina laugh as well. “might as well get on with it!”
you slammed the table with your hands, “ha? i’m not that vulgar! i’m as innocent as an angel!”
mina snorted like a pig would do and disagreed with you. “says someone who was staring at his shirtless volleyball pictures on instagram last night.”
your cheeks heated up so much that it crawled straight to your ears. “i- i’ll go get ready.” walking away to your bedroom to look for something else to wear. good thing you had a back up outfit.
“yuta texted, said that they’d pick us up in thirty!” mina turned her screen off after reading the notification.
“shut up mina!” your voice behind the door made her shake her head in satisfaction.
“the pressure’s real now, isn’t it, y/n?”
“mina said they’re almost ready.” yuta put his phone in the pocket of his jacket. then seeing johnny checking himself out on the rearview mirror as he drove to your shared apartment with the girls. “dude, chill, you look great.”
johnny smirked before parking briefly. as he and the guys went out of the car, you three came into sight all dressed up. and he swore he actually took a step back when his eyes set on you.
you sported a light lilac puff sleeved dress that had a knot around your waist. the ruffled hem of the dress reach an inch & a half above your knees. and you paired the whole outfit with white sneakers and a light yellow headband.
johnny blushed, and he feigned an innocent cough to cover up his growing flustered reaction. this.. this was what he meant with how you had that effect on him. he was quick enough to change his expression before the rest of the group looked at him.
mina, yuta, lisa, and taeyong looked at the both of you and just realised how your outfits matched. johnny’s outfit was similar with yours; an oversized purple dress shirt, a white tank, cashew coloured pants, a pair of white sneakers, and ending the whole fit with a pale mustard yellow bag.
johnny freaking suh was dashing this morning.
“we didn’t plan this, did we?” johnny broke the silence, before walking towards you.
he brought his hand out, asking permission to hold yours. you pressed your lips together and did what he requested. strangely enough, his hand had a very nice warmth.
he pulled you closer to his side, putting his arm around your shoulders gently. you could hear your heart ringing in your ears. he was too close for comfort but for crying out loud, he wasn’t just any person, he was johnny suh; the guy you very much liked.
“we’ll be late for our breakfast movie date, see you guys later at night.” he signaled his friends and yours, shaking his car keys on his free hand.
while you both turned to a corner a few streets away from your building complex, johnny released his hold on you. stunned, you saw how tensed he was after acting all tough.
that amused you a lot. because behind that intimidating and manly exterior, was a soft and nervous guy on a date.
you wouldn’t say you were any different either, because you were just as tensed as he was. “you okay?”
johnny finally looked at you, “sorry, i’m not usually like this.”
then it hit you.
“is this your first valentine’s date?”
“a proper one, actually.” johnny sighed while looking at his watch, “crap we got ten minutes ‘til the movie starts.”
your eyes widened and didn’t think for a second,. “well we don’t want to be late now, do we?” looking at the town just a few blocks away. “i’ll race you.”
johnny was in shock and broke out into a cackle. “okay. but don’t blame me if you lose.”
“don’t underestimate me, suh.” you grinned, already sprinting away from him. gosh were you happy you chose to wear sneakers today.
the movie was a re-showing of spiderman: no way home. and you heard that johnny was a huge spiderman fan. luckily for him, you were into movies from marvel. except for the recent ones, we don’t talk about those.
after the morning date, johnny had everything planned out. the next agenda was to go for a stroll in the park to take photos and to your surprise, he really lived up to his reputation.
you’ve come to learn that johnny got this passion from his mom, who also took great photos of him when he was younger.
johnny looked at his camera’s viewfinder and spotted you smiling under the rising noontime sun. he hitched a breath, you were so beautiful, and he found himself falling in love even more.
“you hungry? it’s almost lunch time.” you asked him, breaking him out of a daze.
“yeah!” his voice came out all funny, “i booked seats at a restaurant just there.” he pointed at a crowded street. “you good with sushi?”
he was sure his heart melted when you jumped in excitement. “omg i love sushi! let’s go!”
as you walked to the crowded street, johnny felt stares at him that made him uncomfortable. you weren’t oblivious to this though, your sharp eyes caught how even random ladies your age would fuss over the model like young man beside you.
hearing whispers on how handsome he looked and how he was an ideal type for all, you knew he was tensed. so you didn’t think twice to hold his hand and pulled him, walking across the crowd.
it was like how you knew his mind was occupied, johnny felt at peace when he felt your hand on his. “i heard we could get a discount if we go in as a couple.. for today.” he heard you say and your eyes smiled at him. “you good with that?”
finally, a considerate question. someone who apparently spotted his vulnerable self and someone who actually cared for him. you were so different than the previous dates he’s had.
“yeah.” he smiled at you, staring at your tinted lips that called onto him. then he mentally slapped himself for thinking that so early.
lunch was actually quite enjoyable, johnny kept the conversation going and he was unexpectedly funny. putting in one-liners and cracking a couple of jokes filled your stomach with laughter more than the food itself.
he was attractive, loved and intimidated by many, and he was idolised by many sport enthusiasts. to see your crush take you out for valentine’s and witness how he really is in person was something you’d like to keep. and he was just a normal goofball.
a cute kind of goofball.
“if you stare at me for too long i might as well kiss you.” he teased you while he plopped a sushi in his mouth.
“with that salmon sashimi in your mouth? no thanks.” you teased back, catching johnny off guard and he coughed. you chuckled and gave him a glass of water. “sorry about that.”
“that was unexpected.” he cackled, “but that only told me that you’re willing to kiss me.”
you only shook your head, “maybe. maybe not.”
again johnny was taken aback by you, did you have feelings for him for you to say such a thing? today was a friendly date, but would things be different if you both actually have mutual feelings?
he didn’t want to get ahead of himself yet he hoped something good would happen today.
“bill please.” johnny gestured to the waiter, taking his wallet out. his peripheral vision caught you taking your pouch out as well. “it’s okay, y/n, my treat.”
“but-”
“i know about the half and half payment situation going on. but since it’s valentine’s day, let me treat you.” placing his card underneath the receipt book.
“okay, but it means you’re treating me the whole day though.”you closed your wallet, smiling regrettably at him.
johnny just smirked, “unless i score another date with you.”
your cheeks heated up again. smooth, johnny suh. “alright.”
“let’s go to the amusement park?” he stood up, letting you go first to exit the restaurant.
you nodded excitedly, today was going to be a long day for you.
for the whole afternoon, you and johnny rode quite a lot of rides there was in the amusement park. even stopping for a cotton candy and a churro snack break in some of them. and just like johnny, never had you ever experienced a date as fun as this.
two of the last things you both did were the game stalls and bump cars. he bluffed saying that he’d win you a teddy bear even though he really liked it. it was then you found out that he loved stuffed toys. it should’ve been a turn off but for you, it wasn’t. it was actually adorable.
you both ended up carrying two giant teddy bears after being competitive with each other.
johnny brought out his digital film camera and took shots to remember the whole event. he was enjoying himself and couldn’t wait to actually have more with you- if there was going to be more anyway.
he knew he was in love you for the longest of time he knew you. and he couldn’t help but think you did as well. he loved the way you still looked so pretty after you hair was in a mess during the bump cars, smiling and having fun with him.
getting off the bump cars while the sun painted a hue of pink and orange, you both walked towards the turnstile to exit. he checked his phone for a bit while when he noticed people looking at your behind.
until he spotted a bright red stain on your dress. you probably didn’t know you had your period today. locking his phone, he took off his dress shirt and wrapped it around your waist.
for the bystanders who witnessed this, it felt like slow motion that it was a scene worthy to be penned for a romantic movie.
you gasped a bit at the very close proximity with him. “johnny?”
“excuse me for this y/n.” he said softly by your ear. “you’re on your period, so i had to cover your back before more people see it.”
his low velvet voice gave you goosebumps and then realised how embarrassing it was to have him do that. when your eyes met with his, his apologetic smile made you fluster so much.
what you didn’t expect was the now sleeveless johnny- was just as flustered as you were. not sure how long you were staring at his beautiful brown eyes, also at his plumped lips. you decided to break the awkward silence.
“oh my gosh.” you covered the lower half of your face. “i need to go buy sanitary napkins.”
johnny coughed briefly before letting go of your waist. “.. right. i’ll wait for you when you’re done.” taking one of the bears while the other one sat on the bench.
making your way to the girls’ toilet after purchasing a pack of napkins, you slapped your cheeks in embarrassment. your period should’ve arrived after the date. now johnny had to walk around in his tank top for the rest of the evening without his dress shirt.
his dress shirt.. ah whatever. you told yourself.
johnny’s expression lit up when he saw you exiting the toilet, still feeling bad for you but eased up when you smiled. “well since i do have my period, i’m suddenly hungry.”
he snapped his fingers and laughed at your reaction on everything. “great, one last hurrah. i booked a reservation at a french restaurant. heard ladies shouldn’t consume anything oily.”
your mouth went agape as he skipped away with the two teddy bears. “but i was craving for burgers and fries!”
“well you’re having baguette and framboise tonight, young lady.” he called out and laughed once again. and that actually made you chuckle.
“you pronounced ‘framboise’ wrong!”
after you both finished your meal at the fancy french restaurant, you still felt bad about his dress shirt while he must’ve felt cold throughout dinner. it must’ve been stained by now. johnny was quick to pay attention, he licked his lips and rubbed his chin as you both walked back home.
so, the whole valentine’s day was productive; morning cinema and breakfast, a scroll in the park, lunch at a sushi restaurant, amusement park, and a french cuisine dinner. a total package. johnny really outdid himself on this one.
he wished today didn’t end so soon.
and so did you.
“i had fun today, johnny. thank you for being my first valentine ever.” you bit your lip while doing a repetitive tiptoe movement.
johnny ruffed your hair, “i’m glad you liked everything. i hope we can do more of this.”
your eyes lit up, he enjoyed your company. “definitely. but hope this-” you gestured to your ‘accident’, “- doesn’t happen again.”
“y/n, don’t worry about it.” he spoke out, letting you know it wasn’t any problem for him at all.
you scratched the back of your head, “thank you, and i’m so sorry, johnny. i promise to wash it and return it to you.”
he held your shoulder, “it’s okay. keep it. i’ve got an extra one.”
“maybe you just want me to remember about it.” you playfully rolled your eyes and johnny chuckled.
“or maybe i wanted to imprint you.” he stared at your face, then to your lips for a few seconds before laughing. “i’m kidding.”
he waited for an answer but you just blinked at him, looking at his lips that was the distraction the whole day. he took that as a cue that maybe you also wanted what he thought of too. but he didn’t want to act recklessly.
it was quiet for like ten seconds. and ten seconds felt like forever. you felt like your heart was going to explode and johnny felt a rush in him to just go for it.
he put down his bag and the stuffed toy, pulled you closer to him. his hand placed around your back and the free one by your jaw. your face was close to his and you both could feel the tension that was evident in the air.
and even though it was like that, you loved how johnny had the decency to ask your permission before anything.
“can i kiss you?” he asked softly, his eyes trailed to your lips once more before back to your eyes.
the way you were lost in his gaze, how your eyes moved its attention to his lips, and a small nod was already a signal for johnny to make his move.
the grip he had on you tightened a little and you both shared a kiss under the lamp post that was outside your apartment complex. you didn’t know long it was until you and johnny’s smart watches alerted, saying:
“detecting abnormal heart rate.”
stopping almost abruptly, you both caught your breaths after a mutual understanding of your unsaid feelings towards each other, you and johnny softly laughed.
“does this mean we’re official?” you asked nervously, holding his forearms. johnny pinched your cheek as he hugged you gently, swaying you both around and you sniffed in a quiet laughter in his chest.
“well y/n, we’ve already imprinted on each other so.. yes, we’re official. my valentine.”
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