you turn to your best friend, jisung. you share a confused glance as jisung gestures to your desk, you trail your eyes to the black velvety box with a single red rose next to it. you stare at the questionable sight, until your thoughts are interrupted.
“chenle’s here! do i look nice y/n?” you grimace as you watch your classmates take out their cosmetics. you nod nonchalantly, as this is a normal occurrence for you. everyone was attracted to chenle, you couldn’t deny it yourself either. he was a kind boy with a bright future ahead of him, he never let his wealth get to him. he was the mood maker of the class, who wouldn’t swoon for chenle?
class wasn’t starting anytime soon, and you were overly curious to see what was in the velvet box. you trailed your fingers against the corners, it felt.. expensive? you felt a bit guilty, knowing someone had most likely spent a hefty amount of money on you.
as you were admiring the rose, you felt a slight weight on your desk. you look up to see chenle standing in front of you, his hands on your desk holding him up. you watched the corner of his eyes crinkle, a slight smize.
“oh! hi, chenle. did you need something?”
he smiled at you with soft eyes, he always admired you. chenle was never good with his words when it came to his feelings.
when he met you, he felt like he could do anything. you were such a strong and lovable person in his eyes, he admired you for everything you did. chenle was more than infatuated with you.
you and chenle weren’t the closest, but you had jisung as your mutual friend. so, hanging out together was inescapable . before meeting chenle, you expressed your concerns, worrying if it would be too awkward. all of your concerns went down the drain the minute you met him. he felt like a breath of fresh air, you couldn’t get enough of him.
“oh no i don’t! just wanted to see what your secret admirer had got you” chenle wiggled his eyebrows with a smirk.
secret admirer?
you ultimately opened the box, revealing a silver necklace. you graze your fingers over the shining piece, your fingers slowly reach onto the locket in the middle. as you open the locket, you see a picture of you and chenle. you smile to yourself as you rub your finger over the picture.
you ultimately opened the box, revealing a silver necklace. you graze your fingers over the shining piece, your fingers slowly reach onto the locket in the middle. as you open the locket, you see a picture of you and chenle. you smile to yourself as you rub your finger over the picture.
you ultimately opened the box, revealing a silver necklace. you graze your fingers over the shining piece, your fingers slowly reach onto the locket in the middle. as you open the locket, you see a picture of you and chenle. you smile to yourself as you rub your finger over the picture.
you guys were at a cafe, jisung had insisted on taking a photo of you 3, with you in the middle. you reminisce on the feeling of chenle’s hand wrapped around your waist, how your burning cheeks were more than noticeable in the picture. you let out a soft giggle at the memory, now looking up at chenle.
you watched how tense he was. fidgeting with his hands, shifting from one foot the other. you let out a beaming smile, getting up to wrap your arms around his neck. you felt him slowly relax at your touch, feeling him sway you both back and forth.
he whispered in your ear, “i’m guessing you got the hint..”
you remove yourself from the crook of his neck, looking up at him with a sparkle in your eyes.
jisung clears his throat, waving his hands in between you guys. “um, hate to interrupt my best friends completely ignoring me for the past 20 minutes.. but wasn’t i in that picture too?” he trails his eyes back and forth between you guys, with a soft glare.
“oh yeah! i cropped you out!” chenle smiles innocently.
jisung dramatically clenches his chest, slowly stumbling back at the attack he had received.
“chenle.. you are dead to me.” chenle giggles at his best friend’s reaction.
chenle looks at the seat next to yours, rolling his eyes at jisung’s backpack. he shoves it to the side and makes himself comfortable in his new self assigned seat.
“this is mine now! thanks jisung, for keeping it all warm for me!”
jisung sighs as he slides into the seat behind you, watching with a playful smirk as you plan your first date with chenle.
when he sits down on the last step of the long staircase nestled between your building and the twenty four hour grocery store
the stairs lead up to the next block, where you can hear the vague sounds of kids playing on the street. one of the voices might be haechan, he’s shouting for someone to come back
but you look at chenle and he’s looking at his knees
freshly bruised from where he and jisung both fell off their bikes a couple days ago, it’s starting to scab and he looks like he’s trying not to pick at it
“sorry, you want me to do what?”
“don’t make me say it again.”
he mutters and he won’t look at you
you know even if you ask him too - he’s probably the most stubborn person you’ve ever met - he won’t
“no, i didn’t hear - well i did, but i mean - you’re crazy.”
“you can just say no.”
he shifts his gaze from his knees up to the sky and then after you wait patiently for another minute he finally does look at you
“do you really hate the idea of it?”
“it’s not that. it’s just…….if you really like this person, you should just fall into it naturally with them. you shouldn’t have to practice - you should just do it when it feels right.”
his mouth twitches like he’s about to scowl and roll his eyes and stomp away
because that’s what he does when things don’t go his way but instead he just stares at you and says;
“i won’t know what feels right until ive at least tried it.”
you should argue back, you and chenle are notorious for always bantering and quarrelling and leaving all of your friends either annoyed or doubling over with laughter
but you can’t think of something witty to say. something at least convincing because he makes a point
but also
how is he not embarrassed to ask me of all people that?
sighing, you’re the one who looks away and over your shoulder up the stairs
no one is around - their voices are - but they’re distant and chenle is close
so close that bruised knee of his could brush yours if he just inched a little to his left
“fine.”
you give in and turn your shoulders back toward him
“you might as well practice with me, anyone else and you might actually catch another crush on top of the one you have now.”
chenle half smirks and you don’t register the emotional shift in the light brown of his eyes
you just think he’s going along with your joke - well not really a joke, more like a statement
and that’s how you end up leaning in, one hand on the stairs as if to keep your balance even while sitting down
and the other on the side of chenle’s cheek
you hover just a moment before you kiss him - a split, wordless millisecond of hesitation - and then you let your lips gently press to his
it isn’t even a real kiss but it is the first moment of the rest of a summer you never expected
of course, you and chenle tell no one about this weird, awkward, beyond the boundaries of friendship thing you are doing
mostly because if you did haechan and jaemin would not let it go, not until you were all rolling in your graves and jisung would probably be scarred with crippling doubt of where every friendship of his stood
so you only naturally have to sneak around
chenle is a good liar though, well better than you who has trouble even looking renjun in the eyes when chenle says you and him have to leave a little earlier from the backyard barbeque someones throwing because oh right, you forgot your allergy medicine at home and chenle promised some old lady across the street he’d feed her cat while she was on holiday
they’re half-assed, badly timed lies but it is summer
and if you and chenle don’t want to have fun with the rest of the group then so be it
you guys just get teased and called debbie-downers and then you’re home free
well home free in a sense that you know have some time to sit on the rug of your bedroom and kiss
for the sake of learning
“where do i put my hands?”
chenle asks one time and you move instinctively to put one of his palms on the side of your waist.
that’s where i like to be held-
you drop his hand as soon as the thought crosses your mind and stutter out
“well, that’s more a question for your crush. different people like it in different places.”
he nods and thinks for a second
“we’ve only kissed a couple of times but i think i like putting my hand on your waist.”
his palm ends up just where you had wanted to lead it and when a little swell of butterflies flutters in your stomach at the fact, you quell the feeling and shove it deep deep deep down
this persists throughout the weeks, and each time you try and introduce chenle to a tier higher of kissing, if that makes sense
you’ve got down the leaning in, the hand position, the tilting your head, the emergency breath mints, the lead up or lead out, the avoid nose smashing or teeth clanking and then there’s only really one last thing you can graduate too and it’s
“tongue?”
you almost hark on the ice-cream sandwich you’re eating when jaemin says the word
“yeah, he got his tongue pierced. are you ok?”
renjun turns his long gaze to you, the poor ice-cream melting all over the wrapper and on your fingers
“fine, yeah, it’s just - super hot. i think im gonna go home and lay under the ac.”
your eyes go from renjun to jaemin to chenle who gives a little nod and stands up from his side of the table with a groan
“sorry guys, i got a text from my mom. i gotta go now too.”
no one says anything. renjun taps his fingers and doesn’t look away from you as jaemin tries desperately to convince you both to stay and when you both say no he sticks his tongue out and asks you a question that you thought would sooner come out of anyone elses mouth
“are you two like hooking up behind our backs or something, you’re always gone when we’re having the most fun!”
you think you might really fall over - renjun, sure you could have seen him figuring it out. haechan - definitely. even jeno……but
jaemin?
“what? like i’d ever hook up with them.”
chenle’s voice comes out, high and mocking
it’s pretty good and you almost believe it for a second - turn around and tell him hey, you’ve been making out with me this whole entire month so if you want to end up practicing on a stuffed animal back home you better take that back!
when you realize - right, he’s covering up
you scrunch up your nose and chuck the icecream into the trash
“right, like id ever let him touch me.”
jaemin is convinced, he goes back to laughter and obliviousness, but renjun chuckles when you pass by and the undertone of it makes you shake even in the heat
“renjun knows.”
you and chenle are not in your room for once, you’re outside in a small park that’s been abandoned as the summer moon switches places with the summer sun
chenle is swinging back and forth and you’re leaning against the side of the swing set nervously biting your lip
“he gave me a look when we left.”
“are you going to teach me it by the way?”
“teach you what?”
you hear the swing come to a stop and he stands up, you don’t know if now the summer heat is getting to you
because when you look at him he looks different
he looks handsome, not just cute and sweet like you’re used to seeing him - all round faced and smiley - he’s gotten taller and is still so naturally thin it brings out the defining cuts of the sharper parts of his face
you look away immediately when you start cataloging all of this in your brain
people only do that with people they like, you don’t look at your friends and start painting their best features in your head like a psycho …….. ok not a psycho but someone that’s…..that’s in ……
“you know, how to actually kiss. not little pecks or whatever, like actual deeper kissing.”
it is obvious what he’s asking and you are pretty sure it’s just his drive to be better at all this for that person he likes
but you feel shy about it, even a little uncomfortable with the idea of being slightly closer to someone who is using you as what could be compared with a scientific mannequin
a how-to user guide, a one time trial period
you feel light headed and when chenle comes into your personal space and reaches out to hold you, you jerk back
“stop - wait.”
he listens
“w-who do you even like, you never told me.”
“why’s that important?”
his eyes widen a little and you are racing through a hundred different excuses and reasons to prolong this conversation
“well i want to know. i mean, i mean everything we practiced you’re going to use with them so i just i guess i feel like im at least entitled to know that.”
“it’s a secret, it doens’t matter either way.”
“do i know them?”
chenle frowns, “no. they don’t live near here. anyway are you ok why-”
you walk backwards, up until your back hits the fence that runs around the little park
chenle’s ticked off look turns into genuine concern and he stops a couple of feet from you and asks this time if you’re really ok, if you don’t want to do this anymore than that’s all you have to say-
he’s speaking, in almost something akin to a whisper, and the sound along with the dawning of the evening makes you remember that first kiss you gave him on the stairs
his bruised knee, haechan’s voice in the distance, the long steps leading up to the entire world and away from chenle
if you really had felt nothing for him but friendship, you would have gotten up and told him to stop playing around
you would have trotted up those steps and joined everyone else
you would have never leaned in and kissed him first
but you had and the secret that you’d stowed as far back in your heart as possible had slowly, with each day of this summer, been pulled out and out and out
and now it was big and shining and the only thing you could think about anymore
i like chenle
and everytime he kisses me
he’s thinking of someone else
“i can’t, i can’t do that with you.”
you finally find the words and then clutch your fingers into fists at your side when chenle gives you a sad look you almost never see him wear
“it’s not that i don’t want to, i do. i want to. and not to help you learn or whatever but because i really just……..want to.”
that sad look is turning into something you’re too scared to look at - but you know he’s following your train of thought now
“and you should want to do that with the person you like, not a replace-”
“it’s you.”
he cuts in before you finish your sentence and like a train going at full speed you brake and everything crashes in at once
“-ment……sorry, what?”
“it’s you. you’re the person i like.”
“but- you - practice- you - what?”
the starstruck look on your face makes chenle laugh and you can’t believe the audacity, buy you also want an answer so when he wipes away his chuckling he nods
“it was you all along. do you think i’d ever want to spend days making out with someone i didn’t like?”
when you had thought something had been wrong with him on the day he’d asked you to do this the first time, you really had thought either he’d gotten heatstroke or been brainwashed
it was so unlike chenle to 1) admit he needed to practice something and 2) want to practice it with someone he wasn’t at least fond of
so really, maybe something had been wrong with you, when you had failed to see that his whole plan this time was
“you just wanted an excuse to kiss me all summer?”
he shrugs and grins, “it was nice right?”
you can’t argue or lie or disagree - it was nice - and now you’re standing here in this park with no one around and you think maybe you shuold teach chenle the last and final thing about kissing
so you finally let him come closer and with his hand on your waist, just where you like it, he leans in again
but just before you do anything else you pull back and mumble
“jaemin is going to freak out when we tell him he was right, we have been sneaking out around behind everyones back to make out.”
“yeah but renjun definitely knows right?”
you nod, right, maybe that’ll soften the shock for everyone
(it doesn’t)
and sometimes you also get another wave of shock, even after dating chenle for so long
not much has changed - you still like to push each other and tease and pretend like you aren’t head over heels in love with each other
if only because that’s one way to show that you are, in fact, very much attached
and because even when you kiss in front of the group - jaemin still says it blows his mind
the only person who keeps reminding everyone that he saw this coming, even before you and chenle spent that summer locking lips
is renjun who looks at you and chenle and is like, “one day ill probably be helping plan their wedding.”
you and chenle look at each other and pretend to gag, wedding? no way? to each other? you’d both rather die!
and then you grin and kiss and tickle noses and disappear into a bubble of your own
every time you get to be alone though you whisper against his cheek that you love him, he knows exactly how to make you happy
and he reminds you hey - you taught me everything i know, that one summer all that time ago.
chenle isn’t the biggest fan of coffee, preferring sugary energy drinks to get him through the day and a hot chocolate during biting mornings. yet he takes the mug you’ve made for him, two sugars added for the thought of his sweet tooth, and sips it gently whilst you start preparing your own cup.
“thank you,” he mumbles, licking the residue off the smile of his lips. you turn to flash a grin, proud, and face forward again, this time with a perk in your shoulders.
morning shines through the skylight of your kitchen and chenle yawns, sipping his drink slowly and wishing coffee wasn’t so bitter. but the sweetness of the gesture makes up for his upset taste buds.
summary:following the red thread hanging down your pinky was the easy part. making zhong chenle fall in love with you in ten days was definitely harder.
pairing:chenle x reader
genre:soulmate! au, fluff
Spring was always your favorite season. Maybe it was the sprouting buds or the smell of crisp, fresh air that took your breath away and left you wanting for more. Maybe it was the sweet, enthralling feeling of seeing couples walk hand in hand, the red thread of fate dangling between them a stark contrast to the pastels of the background.
Your eyes zeroed in on two girls wearing your school uniform, laughing with each other merrily. Tied to both their pinkies was a string of red, and you felt your lips quirk up into a small smile. You could only hope that they would get together before the end of the 240-hour mark.
It was a blessing and a curse how you were born with the ability to see the red thread of fate between couples meant for each other. Cool as it was, it came with a burden; the moment you look down to see the thread dangling by your pinky and connected to someone else, the timer would start ticking. If both parties didn’t love each other after ten days, it would turn grey and limp.
That was why you made it your personal mission to get people together as fast as possible. A miracle matchmaker, your friends liked to say. To them, it was always pure luck that every couple you paired up ended together in some way or another.
You walked through your school’s open gates, immediately spotting your group of friends. You made your way over to them, and upon closer inspection, you could make out one of your close friends talking to Chenle. Truth be told, you never understood Zhong Chenle. Sure, he was in your friend group, but you had never talked much with him.
He laughed, a dolphin-like sound that brought a smile on your lips. You suddenly felt a tugging sensation on your hand, and you looked down to see what it was. You weren’t really sure what you were expecting to find, but it sure as hell wasn’t a red thread. You almost let out a startled cry, surprised to find it there. Just five minutes ago your hand was completely free, but now you were tethered to someone else.
Your wide eyes followed the thread, careful not to mix them up with someone else’s. It pooled on the floor and trailed around the ground, looping around a few pillars until it eventually became attached to someone’s hand. Your eyes trailed up to see Zhong Chenle, only to find him staring straight at you. You pursed your lips, whirling around to put your stuff in your locker. You knew what this meant. The timer had started, and you needed to find a way to make Zhong Chenle fall in love with you in ten days.
“Chenle, let’s get some ice cream together!”
You had rushed out of class the instant the bell rung, grabbing your bags hurriedly and waiting outside of Chenle’s homeroom door. The boy had just come out of his class, only snapping to attention as you called his name. You sent him a cheery smile, ignoring the confusion on his face. You had never talked to him before, so why now?
“Huh?”
“Come on, it’ll be fun,” you promised, grabbing his hand and dragging him away before he could protest, “You don’t have anything scheduled after this, right?”
“No?” It came out more like a question than a statement. You ignored the weird and curious looks your schoolmates sent you and continued dragging him out of the school gates toward the ice cream parlor nearby.
“What flavor do you want?” you said upon arriving in front of the place. You pushed the door open with your shoulder, the bell chiming to announce your arrival.
“Chocolate’s fine,” he replied, walking over to the assortment of flavors on display. You followed close behind him, sending a smile to the employee.
“One chocolate cone and one vanilla, please,” you rummaged through your bag to find your wallet, sliding the money across the counter to pay for the cones. You handed Chenle the chocolate one while keeping the vanilla cone to yourself, “Here.”
He blinked, accepting it, “I could’ve paid for that, you know.”
“You’re welcome,” you replied dryly, “Besides, it’s fine. I dragged you here and I should pay for it.”
“Thank you,” he let out a little smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling in sheepish thanks, “Why’d you drag me out here, anyway?”
“Is it wrong to try to get closer to someone in my friend group? We never really hung out before, so I wanted to start now before the school year ends,” you shrugged, licking your ice cream. You had been reciting that excuse in your head since morning. He didn’t seem to buy it, though, “Anyways, I think I have something in mind we could do.”
“What?”
You sent him a guilty smile, “I know a place.”
“Say, what is this?” Chenle questioned. You shrugged. You had taken him to the outskirts of a forest, where a small, abandoned building stood. It looked almost mystical from the distance.
“It was abandoned a few years ago, I think – nobody owns it,” your hand enclosed around the knob of a door, giving it a few hard tugs to pull it open. When it did, however, the force of it nearly knocked you off balance. You felt Chenle’s hand against your back, steadying you, and you sent him a thankful smile, “Thanks. I found it yesterday while I was cycling through the area. It seemed pretty cool, so.”
You walked inside the building, and he followed behind you. He seemed just as enraptured by the place as you were. It was almost wonderlike; how nobody else was there but the both of you. There were a few empty rooms, but one door in particular caught both of your attentions the moment you spotted it.
“Hey, (Y/N), I think I found something,” Chenle called out from the hall. You turned around from one of the rooms you were in, popping your head out the doorway to see him at the end of the hallway, trying to push open a door. It opened at his second attempt, and he waved his hands in a ‘come on’ movement before he entered.
You walked to where Chenle had been, pushing open the door slightly to give more room to move. When you entered, you saw him in the middle of the room, a little awestruck at the sight. It seemed like a practice room of some sort, with dust-coated wooden floors and wall-length mirrors lining the whole walls. The sunlight streamed in through clear windows, illuminating the room in perfect light. It was instantly your favorite room.
“I like this one more than the others,” Chenle admitted after a while of his strange silence. You sent him a grin, nudging him playfully.
“It’s mine, too,” you strayed to the mirrors, swiping the tips of your fingers against it experimentally. It came out dusty, and where your fingers had been left a clear mark, “Chenle, you want to hear a crazy idea?”
“What?”
You turned your head to face him over your shoulders, smiling sheepishly, “Let’s give this place a makeover.”
It didn’t take a lot to convince him. He seemed just as enthralled by the place as you were, so by the time the next day rolled in, he had brought the paint and you had brought the broom and wipes. After you both had grabbed ice cream, you instantly went to the building and started.
It surprised you when he started pulling out a pair of the ugliest yellow scrubs you had seen.
“It’s so we don’t get paint on our uniforms, duh!” He rolled his eyes, ignoring your laughter as he pulled it over his head. It hung over his frame like a bright yellow trash bag, and your laughter spilled out even more.
“You look great, Chenle,” you said between your chuckles, “Maybe a little bit like tweety-“
He glowered playfully.
“Fine, fine, a minion-“
“Oh, now you’ve done it,” he grabbed the other piece he had brought with him and chased you, and your eyes widened before you jumped up and scrambled away.
Half an hour later, both of you were in ugly yellow scrubs, looking like yellow m&m’s. He himself had a laughing fit over how silly you looked. Yesterday the both of you decided on a clean white color for the walls, and you rolled out the newspaper on the floors as to not get paint on it as he set down the can of paint in the middle of the room. Not long after, the both of you had set to painting the walls dutifully, the conversation between you only divided by comfortable, companionable silence.
“Chenle,” you said, and he hummed in response to you without looking up from painting the bottom part of the walls, “You didn’t by any chance bring a ladder, did you?”
“Oh, uh, no?” He sheepishly scratched the back of his head, and you noticed that he had a streak of white paint on his nose and cheeks. Adorable, you thought, “What, you can’t reach the top of the walls?”
“Kinda,” you were already standing on your tiptoes most of the time, and you still couldn’t reach the top part. He stood up, stretching a bit before walking over to you and squatting in front of you, “Uh, what’re you doing?”
“Well, what are you waiting for? Get on,” he cocked his head in impatience, and you let out a surprised, choked sound.
“Chenle, are you sure-“
“Hurry up, (Y/N),” you could practically feelhim rolling his eyes, “Or I’ll have to carry you myself-“
“Okay, okay,” you agreed. You hesitantly put one of your legs over his shoulders before the other, and out of a sudden he had straightened up and you were hoisted into the air. You let out a cry of shock, and he grabbed onto your calves as to prevent you from falling.
“You okay?” He asked, and you had to fight the blush rising up your cheeks, stammering that you were fine.
Time passed as soon as you finished with the top part of the walls, and all that was left was his part. He didn’t complain once, but you were still worried for him. You constantly questioned if he was fine with you on his shoulders, and he even made some offhand comments about how light you were (earning a smack or two to the head from you).
Once he set you down, you had started to get to work on wiping the mirrors and windows and making sure they were shining while he went back to painting his part of the walls. You had even brought a stereo with you, and the both of you blasted some songs to dance to. More than a few times the both of you stopped your actions to dance wildly in the middle of the room, laughing your hearts out.
The red thread of fate pooled around the room between your pinky fingers, and you could see it growing stronger as more time passed. By the seventh day, the both of you had made major progress with the room. The mirrors were gleaming, the wall paint dried and the floors polished. The both of you had even started to bring decorations to it, like the rug placed in the middle of the room, the stereo you brought that had made it’s permanent place in the corner of the room and even a couple of beanbags that Chenle found lying around in his storage (damned rich families and all). The both of you had done most of the hard lugging on the weekends, since he had no idol schedule and was resting for the whole month after his most recent comeback with NCT Dream. The fresh smell of paint was starting to fade, and you had even brought a vanilla and apple fragrance to make the room more homey.
The two of you often did your homework here, joking around and fooling with each other as the paint dried or when rain came. He seemed to be more comfortable around you, less stiff than he was at the start, and you were thankful for that. You thought of him more differently than what you did at first, too – you had only gotten closer to him because of the thread between your pinkies, but you didn’t expect him to be such a great guy. Before you knew it, he had also wormed a way inside your heart.
You were now in the process of hanging up some fairy lights you had that went unused back in your house while Chenle stuck some posters of his favorite animes. There was something special in the thought of this place as the both of your places, where you could open up your heart and be accepted by him, and vice versa. Of course, the place was unused and wouldn’t be in the near future – you had made sure of that by asking the people nearby. The building and land was formerly owned by a kind, old guy down the streets, and even though he had no use for it, he didn’t want to sell it. You had even asked permission to go in there and do some modifications and thankfully, he accepted with an easy wave of his hand.
“What’s that?” You pointed to a particular poster he had hung up, the drawn characters peaking your interest.
“A favorite anime of mine,” he grinned, “It’s called Dragonball.”
“Would you mind if we watched it together?” He stopped what he was doing and stared at you with an odd expression, and you threw your hands up and tried to defend yourself, “I mean – if you’re not fine with it, it’s okay, because you’ve probably watched the whole series but it was just a suggestion ‘cause it seems so interesting and-“
Before you knew it, he was in front of you, pinching your cheeks with a goofy smile on his face, “You’re really cute, you know that? Of course we can watch it together. Let me grab my laptop first.”
You were pretty sure your face was a thousand shades of red by now. The both of you got comfortable on the beanbags and he started playing the first episode, and you were absolutely absorbed in the animation. The plot was interesting and everything flowed so smoothly, you were taken in by everything. However, you were too into the anime to notice that instead of watching along with you, Chenle had taken the time to study you – how your eyes reflected the lighting of the camera, how prettily the hair framing your face was and how pink your lips were. Your eyes shifted to his though, and he broke out of his reverie.
“Is there something wrong?” You asked, noting the slight pink blush on his cheeks. He shook his head, smiling lightly.
“Nothing. You’re just cute,” he pinched your cheek once again, and you slapped his hand away playfully, trying to hide the fact that you were probably as red as a tomato.
“Go back to watching the anime, dork. I want to know what happens in episode two.”
For the next couple of days, you and Chenle really got to know each other – you found out that his favorite colors were yellow, orange and blue, and that liked cooking and playing soccer. He had a childhood fear of monsters under his bed, which his older brother would often make fun of, and that he really liked prawn and eggs in seafood restaurants. The past week was the most fun you got in a while, if you were honest. You had started out without really regarding Chenle – now he was in everything you see. Questions like ‘Would Chenle like this?’, ‘Does Chenle like this subject?’ or ‘What would Chenle think of that?’ brimmed your thoughts, and you often found yourself shaking your head or slapping your cheek at times to focus on whatever you were doing before.
Truth be told, you were incredibly sad that today was the last day. The both of you had gone here after school and did everything you could possibly do – danced together, watched a few series of Dragonball, sung horrible duets and laughed your hearts out. It was refreshing to have some semblance of normalcy and happiness you had these past nine days and you wanted nothing more than to make newer, happier memories with him. There was no telling whether or not he had fallen in love with you by the time midnight struck.
“Hey, Chenle,” you started, and he looked up from his position on the floor, “It’s getting late. Shouldn’t you be going back?”
“It’s raining, idiot,” he smiled, patting the area next to him, “Besides, I’ll go when you go.”
You rose from the beanbag and made your way over, plopping down beside him and leaning against the mirrors. The both of you were in comfortable silence for a while before he seemed to remember something.
“Ah, right!” He dug in his pockets and produced a single key on a cord, handing it to you with a sheepish expression, “Before I forget.”
“This is…”
“The keys to this room,” he grinned, pulling out a replica from under his shirt, “I’ve got one too, see? We match.”
“How did you?” You were dumbstruck.
He shrugged, “Easy. I just asked the guy who owned the building – the one who lives at the end of the street, right? He gave me one and the replica was finished yesterday. I-It’s to remind you that even though you may have problems at home, or school, or wherever, you’ll still have a place here.”
“Crap, Chenle, you’ve really done it this time,” you angled your head upwards, clutching the keys tight in your fist.
“Done what?” He turned his head in your direction, his eyes widening as he saw the tears brimming in yours, “Are you crying, (Y/N)?”
“I-I’m not!” you wiped any moisture from your eyes hurriedly, but he suddenly brought you in his arms, “Chenle, what are you-”
“Don’t cry, (Y/N),” he cooed, “I don’t want to see tears on that cute face, okay?”
You smacked his arm lightly, muttering, “Don’t say things like that so casually, idiot.”
Even though you weren’t crying anymore, none of you shifted to move from the positions you were in. You were directly facing his chest, and his chin was atop your head, his arms encircled and relaxed against your waist. The red thread pooled around the both of you. You leaned your forehead against his torso, the rain outside a tempting lullaby.
“Hey, Chenle,” you started after a long moment of silence, “I need to tell you something.”
“Hmm?” You pulled away from him, ignoring the way you wanted to be back in his hold.
“I- well, uh, I kinda…” you blushed, stuttering, “I-”
“Like you and want to know if you like me back, right? Is that what you wanted to say?” He grinned, cheeks almost as red as yours, “Don’t worry. I like you too.”
You gaped at him, “What- how?”
He grabbed your hand and held it up against his own, as if showing the red thread tied at your pinkies, “It isn’t gray. We’re soulmates, (Y/N). I thought you’ve figured it out by now.”
“Y-You can see it too?” You squeaked. He smiled, nodding, “But today’s the last day - we can’t be absolutely sure until tomorrow!”
“It’s the eleventh, idiot. Yesterday was the last day,” he mentioned, and you blushed beet red as you realized he was right. It had been eleven days since the red thread had appeared on your pinkies, “But I don’t need this stupid piece of string to tell you that I really really like you, (Y/N). ‘Cause I do, even if we couldn’t see this red thread.”
“Hey, Chenle, guess what?” You smiled at him, intertwining your fingers together, “I don’t need this stupid piece of string to tell you that I really really like you, too.”
MARK.always notices everything about you no matter how small the change is, of course he’s going to notice. “new sweater?” he realizes it looks familiar, but he can’t quite place where he’s seen it before. “mark, this is yours.” immediately just stops and looks at you in confusion; he’s sure he would’ve recognized it if it were his. “oh!” he almost yells, his face brightening up. “it’s jungwoo’s, he probably forgot it in my room.” your eyes widen, “i’ll take it off then,” but mark’s hands stop you. “i’m sure he won’t mind.” yet there’s a weird, lingering feeling in his chest
RENJUN. “renjun,” despite only having called his name, said boy is already rolling his eyes. “you’re cold, aren’t you?” you nod your head, a sheepish smile on your face. “im not giving you my sweater, i told you it was going to be cold.” “whatever, ill just ask hyuck. his hoodie looks comfortable.” grabs at your hand and pulls you back, a scowl present on his face. “you dummy! i knew you’d get cold so i brought an extra one.”
