warnings:death, tragedy, loss, depression, anxiety, kissing, language, unprotected sex, creampie there are many potentially triggering topics in this fic, and it is meant for mature audiences. please do not read if you are easily affected by mentions of death and the process of coping with it.
synopsis:How do you prevent a tragedy? If you knew the events that would occur beforehand, would there be anything you could do to stop it? You used to believe in destiny, back when all it entailed was love and happy endings, but now you were skeptical. Because the world couldn’t possibly write something so cruel.
here it is! my submission for the Star Cross’d collab under @neosmutcollective. please make sure to check out the other works as well! tracking is under the #nscstarcrossdtag.
There were three rules to being Na Jaeyoung’s best friend.
One, you can never unfriend her.
Two, you cannot lie or keep secrets from her.
Three, and maybe the most important of them all, you arenotallowed to fall in love with her older brother. Na Jaemin is off limits.
Off limits until you can’t hold yourself back. Until life and death separate a promise made before you could even fathom how hard you could fall for someone else. They say the right people will always walk into your life, and you liked to believe that you were destined to meet the Na’s.
But you never knew it would come to this. They always talk about when they come in, but never when they walk out.
I don’t usually read angst because everytime I did, I’ll be sad for the whole day. I decided to read this to torture my self some more so that I could cry coz nowadays I’m on the edge. Like things make me upset and sad but it’s not enough to make me cry? And that feeling is so frustrating that I couldn’t breathe. But surprisingly, reading this gave me comfort and realizations. It put me back to the pace that I’m used to. This is beautiful thank you soo much.
summary:you have a crush on jaemin in your class who happens to have a part time job as a barista. based on thisprompt.
pairing:na jaemin x reader
genre:high school! au, barista! au, fluff
“So he showed up last night at my house and we did the project until 11 at night! Honestly, can you even believe we were only given a week to do our lab project and- are you even listening to me, (Y/N)?”
“Hmm, what? Yeah, yeah, of course I am,” you straightened your back to face your best friend, who had been rambling nonstop about her project partner. She had her hands on her hips and was looking at you with an accusatory face, huffing out an annoyed breath. You sent a sheepish smile to her.
“Were you staring at,” her voice dropped to a whisper, a devilish expression accompanying it, “Na Jaemin?”
“What? No – I aren’t – wasn’t. I wasn’t staring at him!” Your cheeks blushed beet red, embarrassed to be caught, your own voice dropping to a hiss, “And don’t say his name so loud, (B/F/N)!”
She laughed, lacing her fingers behind her head as her voice took a teasing tone, “You totally were!”
Na Jaemin was the student body president, star student, and most importantly, your classmate. He worked part time as a barista in a nearby café with his friends, and every girl in school practically swooned over him and his group of friends. He was sitting across the classroom, laughing at something another one of your classmates said. He was surrounded by people, and he glanced your way for a split second. The moment you made eye contact with him, you blushed fiery red and looked away, trying to look as if you weren’t staring at him.
Truth be told, you didn’t even remember when your massive crush on him started. It was just there for as long as you could remember. You both had started out at the same primary group and elementary school, with there being a limited option in your town. As you entered middle school, students started to move to different schools and other cities. By the time high school rolled in, you were the only two people left who had stuck to the same school.
He climbed up the ranks high, owing to the fact that he had heavenly good looks and intelligence. The fact that he was very social and involved helped, too. The two of you weren’t close, but he definitely knew you were there. There were times when you passed each other in the halls or when you made eye contact did he greet you, but you would always be too shy to even wave back and end up running away.
“You know, I can help you get closer to him, if you want,” your best friend poked your side. You cried out and sent her a small glare, but she clearly could see the interest that sparked in your eyes, “Oh, you’re interested~”
You snorted softly to yourself, “You’re not even close with him.”
“I may not be, but I know someone who certainly is.”
At that moment, the school bell rung. The rest of your classmates scrambled for their seats and you ruffled through your bags to pull up your textbooks. You indicated for her to turn around and face the chalkboard, seeing as her seat was right in front of yours. She rolled her eyes and did as told as the teacher walked in. You could only hope after school was going to be as eventful as promised.
“Where are you dragging me off to?” You complained to (B/F/N) as she held your hand in a death grip. She smiled that devilish grin of hers.
“I’m helping you,” she replied after a moment before coming to an abrupt stop. You bumped into her, letting out a squeak as you cradled your poor nose with your hand, “We’re here.”
The moment you looked at where you stopped in front of, your knees felt like jelly, “Oh – no, no, no. Absolutely not. I’m going home.”
“Wait!” She grappled for your hand, a whining tone to her voice, “I’m just trying to help you! Besides, I already told Jeno you would be coming!”
“Youwhat!” Your eyes widened, “You know Lee Jeno?”
She pouted, “See, if you listened to me this morning, I told you he was my lab project partner! Besides, he’s a nice guy. He’ll help you out.”
Before you could get another word in, she had opened the café doors and entered, dragging you inside. You bumped into her a second time and cradled your (most likely bruised) nose, letting out a small ‘oof’. She whirled around to face you, putting her hands on your shoulders and looking straight into your eyes.
“(Y/N), repeat after me-“ she started slowly, as if she were talking with a child, “Hi, I’d like two large frappes with whipped cream and mocha chips.”
“Huh?”
“Go!” She pushed you toward the counter. You stumbled a little, eyes landing on the figure in front of you once you regained your balance. You felt all thought leave your head, nervously gulping to soothe your suddenly dry throat.
Na Jaemin looked up from writing on an empty cup, eyes widening a little in surprise as he spotted you. A grin bloomed on his face, his hands putting the cup down. You could feel the redness creeping up your neck and cheeks while your brain packed it’s bags and left. You forced your legs to take a shaky step forward and another, hands fiddling nervously with the hem of your skirt.
“Hey, (Y/N). I didn’t expect to see you here,” Jaemin mentioned. He was already in his uniform, something that made him look five times more attractive. You nodded mutely, a squeaky sound escaping your throat, “What do you want to order?”
“U-Uh…” you stuttered, wishing the ground would swallow you whole, “I-I’d like…”
He didn’t seem at all bothered by your attitude, instead having an encouraging smile on his face, “I recommend the caramel macchiatos. They’re my personal favorite.”
You managed a weak nod, not trusting yourself to say another word without embarrassing yourself.
“How many?” You held up two shaky fingers, “Alright. Two caramel macchiatos for (Y/N).”
He took two empty cups and wrote your name on it, and you looked behind him to see Jeno working on the coffee machines while chatting amiably with your best friend. She tapped his shoulder and pointed to you, and the boy sent you an enthusiastic thumbs up.
“That’ll be nine thousand won,” he said.
You rifled through your school bag to find your wallet, pulling out a 10,000 won bill and sliding it to him. When he handed you the change, you dropped it in the tip box and left with a barely audible thank you.
You hurriedly made your way to your best friend and Jeno. You didn’t personally know the guy, but a gut feeling told you that would change soon.
“So, how did it go?” She questioned. You groaned, rubbing a hand over your face.
“Absolutely horrible. I couldn’t say a single word and ended up ordering two caramel macchiatos,” you turned to face Jeno, “You’re Jeno, right?”
“The one and only. You’re the girl (B/F/N) wouldn’t shut up about, right?” He sent you a friendly smile, “I also heard you have a little crush on my friend over there by the cashier. I can help you out if you want?”
Your cheeks flamed, “Am I that obvious?”
“To everyone else but him, I’m pretty sure you are,” your best friend offhandedly mentioned.
“Yeah, Jaemin can be too much of a blockhead at times,” Jeno sent you two a wave, “I better get started on making your caramel macchiatos. Catch you later.”
Your best friend grabbed your elbow and dragged you to an empty seat, plopping down in front of you, “It’s okay, (Y/N) - don’t look so glum. You’ll practice with Jeno and I. Besides, isn’t he a total cutie?”
You rolled your eyes, “So your whole purpose is not to help me but to get closer to your lab partner.”
“Iamhelping you! There are just some benefits along the way that I can’t deny,” she fluttered her lashes. You let out a light laugh, “We’ll start practicing as soon as our coffee’s done.”
“(Y/N), two caramel macchiatos!” Jeno called out. Your best friend sent you a wink and stood up to grab the drinks. You could only hope accepting your best friend’s help wasn’t going to turn out to be as disastrous as you think.
For the next week, your best friend had dragged you to the coffee shop every day after school. Jeno and her practically drilled the words in your mind – “Hi, I’d like two large frappes with whipped cream and mocha chips.” It was just a simple sentence, but every time they made you order, you would just clam up and end up ordering whatever Jaemin recommended that day. The boy didn’t seem at all bothered or annoyed by your odd behavior, instead sending you encouraging smiles. You could be a playful person if you wanted, but every time you even remotely looked his way, it was as if any sane thought flew out the window.
You were half-asleep by your desk, not wanting to do anything other than go back home and snuggle into your blankets. It was still relatively early in the morning, and it was only the both of you in class at the moment as the rest of your classmates hadn’t arrived yet. Your best friend, however, had other plans.
“Okay, repeat after me,“ she started, “Hi, I’d like-“
“Two large frappes with whipped cream and mocha chips,” you half-mumbled, plopping your head to your arms, “I know, I know. It’s just that I can’t say it in front of him no matter how many times I try, (B/F/N). It’s useless.”
“Come on, think of him as a normal person. Picture him as Jeno or me. I’m sure you can do it. Now I’ll pretend to be him and you’ll practice,” she cleared her throat dramatically, and you looked up to her under half-lidded eyes, cracking an amused smile at her attempt, “Hi, (Y/N)!”
“Hi, I’d like two large frappes with whipped cream and mocha chips!” You used the same enthusiastic tone Jeno and her always told you to use- to seem friendlier, they said. You were pretty sure you just sounded stupid.
“See, that’s great!” She clapped her hands in delight. Her cell phone beeped once to indicate a text, and a sneaky glance at her screen revealed the name Jenowith an excessive amount of heart and poop emojis. You raised a brow, but she snatched it before you could read the preview and stood up, sending a nervous smile your way, “I’m gonna go to the restroom. Be back in a few minutes.”
She walked out hurriedly, and you dismissed her odd behavior and rested your head on your arms for another moment in hopes of catching a few extra minutes of sleep. Not even a minute passed before the doors to the classroom swung halfway open. You straightened your back and looked to the doors, expecting to see your best friend, but widening your eyes to see Jaemin strolling in. He made eye contact with you and sent you a wave, a friendly smile on his face.
“Hi, (Y/N)!”
The words tumbled out of your lips before you could stop them, “Hi, I’d like two large frappes with whipped cream and mocha chips!”
Your jaw dropped to the floor as you slapped a hand over your mouth, a tsunami of embarrassment washing over you. You had even used that stupid enthusiastic tone. You squeezed your eyes shut, wishing so desperately you would turn invisible.
“Sure thing, but I don’t think I’m in position of taking any orders right now, (Y/N),” you peeked one eye open to see Jaemin grinning widely at you, “Besides, I know hate me, but since you ordered so early in advance, I’d even make it free.”
“Wh-who said I hated you?” You managed to squeak out, confused.
“Well, I kinda took the hint,” he said silently, “You always look away when I say hi to you in the halls, you look like you’d rather be anywhere else than in front of me when ordering your coffee, and you act so differently in front of Jeno and others than with me,” there was a tone of bitterness accompanying his last sentence.
“I-I don’t hate you,” you mumbled. You didn’t know he thought your flustered and embarrassed self in front of him was you hating him, “It’s just…”
“Just what?”
You’ve done it now. How the hell were you going to dig yourself out of this hole now? You bit your bottom lip worriedly, “I-It’s complicated.”
“Try me,” he looked at you, “We have time, right?”
“I- It’s just that, uh, maybe, I think, you’re,” you weren’t making any sense at this point, “Okay, um, here’s the deal- I don’t really know when this, um, started, but Ithinkyou’rereallykindandcuteandutterlyperfectandImayhavedevelopedamassivecrushonyou?”
You squeezed shut your eyes in horror, too afraid to see his reaction. It was silence for a moment, and you already knew his answer. You had just poured your heart out for him and he had rejected it. You stood up, already feeling the buildup of tears behind your eyes.
“I’m gonna-“ your voice cracked, and you cleared your throat, “I’ll go now.”
“No, wait, (Y/N)-“
“I understand,” you mumbled, and you hurriedly walked to the classroom doors while trying to keep your tears at bay. However, when you tried to open it, it wouldn’t budge, “What the-?”
“Here. let me try,” Jaemin reached out from behind you and tried to push the door open, only to receive the same result. You tried not to notice the fact that his frame was engulfing you or that his arms were encircling you, “Did someone lock us in?”
You let out a sigh of frustration, head drooping down to look at your shoes. You had just been rejected by your longtime crush and now you were stuck with him. Great.
“Hey, hey, (Y/N), look at me,” you felt a pair of warm hands go to your shoulders, turning you around so you faced him. One of his hands tilted your chin up so you looked directly to Jaemin’s concerned face. You didn’t realize how close he was until your foreheads were almost touching, “I haven’t even given you my part of the story yet.”
“It’s okay, I already know the answer to that,” you muttered.
“But listen to me first, okay?” His voice took a softer tone, “What if I told you that I also think you’re really kind, cute and utterly perfect and I may have developed a massive crush on you too?”
Your eyes widened. There was a small, almost playful grin on his face. Maybe you were just too caught up in trying not to embarrass yourself that you didn’t notice the ever-present smile on his face when you were around, the dusting of red across his cheeks that didn’t seem to go away if you were there and the nervous habit of licking his lips before saying something.
“Y-You like me back?” You squeaked, surprised.
“How can I not?” He let out a light laugh that made your heart warm, “You’re completely adorable, (Y/N).”
“I thought you were going to reject me,” you murmured, “Don’t you always do to the other girls who confess to you?”
“Why else do you think I reject them? I already like you, silly,” he looked into your eyes, “Can I ask you a question?”
You nodded meekly. He licked his lips nervously, “Can I kiss you?”
“I don’t think you need to ask, Na Jaemin,” you admitted. With that, he leant down and connected his lips to yours.
“Oh, are we interrupting something?” Jeno called out from the door. With a gasp, you broke the kiss and looked at him and your best friend by the now open door, toying with the classroom key in her hand.
“It seems like we were,” your best friend sent you a wink, and you rolled your eyes at her.
“Jeno, you’re in on this, too?” Jaemin asked, surprised. Jeno shrugged innocently.
“Now that we’ve established this,” she made a motion between you and Jaemin, “I just spotted this supercute guy who recently transferred here.”
“Oh come on, (B/F/N), I thought there was something between us!” Jeno whined, and your best friend stuck her tongue out at him playfully.
“That’s too bad, because there would be if only you were brave enough to ask me out.”
You felt someone’s hand entwine with yours, and you looked up to see Jaemin give an assuring smile at you.
“So how about I take you out after my shift today at the café? Consider it our first date as boyfriend and girlfriend?”
“That’d be great,” you said, and you knew your future would him would just be as amazing.
![[CLOSED]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/78ac2f496812240b6b37f1ec2f2288a9/4ad42760dc4defac-06/s30x30u_c1/d715edf83ecc9570d7e2cf1e6fed8d33ca0749c4.png){kind=small}
