Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A week had passed since your job interview at a quaint café a few streets over from your house. It was run by a sweet lady around the same age as your mother by the name of Mrs. Sung. Apparently, you had been the only person to ever apply to the café; you'd needed some extra cash to keep you afloat, and a small café job that wasn't too busy and was right around the corner seemed like the perfect place.

Mrs. Sung had started you on the job immediately, and by the weeks end, you had managed to finish all the training necessary to independently run the business, allowing Mrs. Sung to rest upstairs as you worked. Currently, you were working after school for 2-3 days a week, making minimum wage. It didn't really bother you, though, since the shop was air conditioned, and with the fast approach of summer, you wanted to stay as far away from the sweltering heat as possible.

The Sung family—comprised of Mrs. Sung and her son, who you hadn't yet met—lived above the shop. You remembered her mentioning in passing that he had been the one to run the shop before you had applied, but was now attending university for performing arts, which was why she had needed the extra help. She was starting to enter retirement age, but cared too deeply for her café to let it collapse. You could understand the sentiment. She had raised her son here as a single mother and even managed to weasel him into every conversation she had. You could tell just how proud she was of how far he was getting in life. Though, if you were completely honest, you hadn't really been all that interested in learning about her son. Well, that was until you finally met him.

~

Standing behind the counter of the Sung Café, you held a wet rag for cleaning in your left hand, and the other barely managed to pry open a textbook that was about the thickness of your pinkie, scanning the pages as you absentmindedly swiped at a small splotch of spilled milk from a previous order. The store had been completely empty for the past 20 minutes, so you didn't see the harm in cracking open a textbook while you waited for customers, revelling in the soft gusts of cool air from the air conditioner. You were pretty short on money, so using the air conditioner at home was a no-go, and the air conditioners at school never seemed to work. Working here almost seemed like a luxury.

You flinched suddenly, jumping at the sound of a bell sounding and a door softly shutting, a wave of hot air emanating through the doorway. Slamming your textbook shut, you quickly turned to the new face in the doorway. "Hello and welcome to the Sung Café," you recited, repeating the words Mrs. Sung had drilled into your head. "How may I help you today?" You accompanied the words with a bow, making sure to seem as friendly and approachable as humanly possible, baring a gentle, welcoming smile.

A young boy, probably only a year or two older than you, stood in the doorway. He was noticeably taller than you, and carried a backpack that suggested he was passing by after university or work. From here, most of his face was obscured by his long hair that covered his forehead. "Sorry to scare you." He laughed softly. "You're [Y/N], right? My mother has told me a lot about you." He stepped forward so he was in front of the counter, opposite you, and reached his hand out for you to shake.

Extending your hand, you shook his hand and tried to forget the comfortable, strong feeling of his hand in yours. "Yeah, I am! Nice to finally meet you!" You repeated the same small bow as before.

There was an ascending clattering noise behind you. Turning, you found Mrs. Sung trudging down the stairs. "Ah, Hanbinnie, you're home!" She stretched her arms wide, pulling her son into a hug as you made a mental note of his name. "This is [Y/N]," she explained to him, gesturing to you. Peering over the counter, she looked at the textbook laying half off the surface. "See how hard working she is! Spotless kitchen, no unhappy customers, and studying!" Her face held a wide, toothy grin. She clearly seemed happy with her evaluation of your work. You had always had a good work ethic compared to most others.

You laughed, embarrassed, giving a short bow as you brushed off the compliment. "Thank you, Mrs. Sung."

“You’re home early,” Mrs. Sung noted, eyeing her son up and down. “Not sneaking out to eat chicken with friends again, are we?”

Hanbin waved his hands in front of himself, showing innocence. “Of course not, the teacher just went home early.”

Mrs. Sung gave a short nod, satisfied with his excuse. "Come upstairs, love," she said to you. "It's empty out here and will be for a while. You can study upstairs. More space." She turned on her heel, walking back toward the steps, like the matter was settled.

"Oh, no, Mrs. Sung, I couldn't impose like that!" You waved your hands in front of yourself, gesturing that it was unnecessary.

"Don't be silly, come on," Mrs. Sung huffed, gesturing for you to follow her. "Would you like something to drink?” Her head swivelled to look at her son. “Hanbin, would you make her a coffee? Or would you prefer tea?"

Hanbin nodded, placing his backpack on the floor as he went behind the counter to access the coffee machine. "What would you like?" He had a gentle smile on his face, standing only inches away from you.

You sucked in a breath, face heating slightly as you noted his angelic smile and his perfect proportions. He must've just walked home straight from university as his hair stuck slightly to his forehead and neck from the sheer amount of sweat. The heat outside was stifling already, and it wasn't even summer yet. Even through all the sweat that must've been covering him, you could still faintly smell his cologne.

You didn't want to draw this out any further, knowing they wouldn't rest until you had a drink you were satisfied with. "Just a black coffee, please, if that's alright." You fidgeted anxiously with your fingers, averting your gaze from the taller man and instead towards the floor.

"Coming right up," Hanbin told you, grabbing a spare apron from a low cupboard and getting to work. He was clearly very experienced in the kitchen from the way he moved around it—his movements quick, and yet still precise and calculated, something you hadn't been able to master yet.

You turned around to follow Mrs. Sung upstairs, but a voice stopped you in your tracks.

"[Y/n]," Hanbin called. "You forgot your textbook." He walked over to the opening of the steps and passed it to you, along with your hefty school bag that was sitting on the floor next to his. The weight of the bag didn’t even seem to register for him, seeing how easily he carried it.

"Ah, thank you!" You smiled brightly, taking the book and bag from him, attempting not to shrivel under the weight of it all.

A few minutes later, you were sat at a small four-seater dining room table, books spread in front of you, along with a steaming cup of coffee. The house was rather small, but the bright white walls and cream-coloured furniture made the rooms look larger than they were. The aircon was much stronger upstairs and was able to completely chase away the suffocating humidity. You had taken a small break between poring over the horde of books to alternate between sipping and blowing at the coffee when Hanbin decided that was the perfect time to take a seat beside you.

You were glancing at the various paintings on the wall when he asked, "What are you studying?"

"English," you replied after taking in the room. "My finals are coming up in a few months so I need to start cramming...five months ago." Sighing dramatically, you dropped your head into an open book in front of you.

He made a sound of barely restrained laughter, nodding in understanding. "I was like that with my exams too."

"I heard you're at university? Performing arts?"

"Well, it's really just dancing and singing practice. A little rapping. Nothing special really." He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

Your eyes widened. "Really? You must be seriously talented!"

"No, no." He shook his head adamantly. "Nothing special."

You laughed, taking another sip of coffee and glancing up at him through your eyelashes. "You're too humble."

"[Y/n]," Mrs. Sung called as she came into the room, taking a seat across from you. She held onto a mug of, what you assumed, was tea. She had always opted to drink tea over coffee. She'd mentioned something about how coffee is a drug and no one knows it yet and it'll kill us all. "What are your plans for dinner, dear?"

"Ah, I hadn't actually thought that far, yet," you told her honestly.

"Well, Hanbinnie and I are going out for dinner. If you don't have plans at home, you're welcome to join us." She absentmindedly clinked her ring against the side of her mug.

You glanced at Hanbin as you mulled the offer over in your head. He seemed rather surprised by his mothers' words, but not overly so that he seemed upset at the prospect of you joining them. While you truly did want to go and get to know Hanbin more, you didn't think it would be the best financial decision, since money was so tight. Sometimes you even wished you could skip school to work, so you could catch up on bills. "That's such a kind offer, Mrs. Sung, really, but I wouldn't want to intrude on your night out. Plus, money is-" you began explaining, before being cut off.

Mrs. Sung made a sound of disapproval. "Ah, I'm not taking you out for dinner just for you to pay." She scoffed and shook her head, seemingly offended by the idea. "Don't be silly. Come on, it's getting late. Get ready and then we'll go out."

Your eyes widened at the finality of her words, and they seemed to bulge out of your head at the quiet laughs emanating from the man beside you. He placed a soft hand over yours. "Don't worry, she's always like that. Come on, it'll make her day. She's very fond of you." Your heart leapt in your chest, cheeks deepening in colour.

Quickly packing away your mess of books that splayed across the table, you checked your hair and clothes before following the Sung family out to the car, praying your cheeks had dulled in colour.

~

It had been a rather short yet chatty car ride to the restaurant. Mrs. Sung used every possible opportunity to mention her son, and Hanbin made a constant effort to redirect the conversation back to you. You honestly found it extremely endearing that she always did her best to show off her son when she could. The more she told you about him, the more you could swear the pace of your heart quickened.

When you entered, the restaurant emanated a homely smell of grilled beef, which was emphasised by the small amount of tables being filled, creating a cosy and intimate atmosphere. You could tell it was a family business since the walls seemed to be rather old—new paint peeling to reveal the decades of love and care poured into the establishment. Tables were set neatly, with crisp white tablecloths set out. If you weren't already working for the lovely Mrs. Sung, you might've changed career paths.

The informality of the restaurant was further accentuated as Mrs. Sung didn't wait for staff to seat her, obviously familiar with the restaurant and it's inner-workings, as both Hanbin and you followed. Where you sat, the light was mainly made up from a window beside your seat to the right, with Hanbin sitting on your left, and Mrs. Sung sitting in front of you. From this close, you couldn't help but make out the exact burnt umber hue of Hanbin's eyes, or the way his hair parts in front of his eyes when he laughs, or the way his tattoos just peek under his shirt.

You all wore comfortable smiles through most of the evening, making small talk about work and school, even managing to get Hanbin to spill a few details about the courses he's undertaking at university. He did the same with you and school. "What book were you reading earlier? For English, right?" Hanbin asked, tilting his head toward you and resting the side of his head on a closed fist.

You finished chewing your mouthful of rice. "Well, we are finishing up Edgar Allan Poe this week, and next week we are starting Romeo and Juliet," you answered. "Though, I've already started breaking down the text because it's better to be ahead than behind, you know?"

Hanbin nodded in understanding. Mrs. Sung's grin widened, whispering a short, "Such a hard worker," under her breath.

"How have you been, Mrs. Sung?" you asked, carefully manoeuvring the conversation to include her. "Are you resting well?"

"Of course, of course. It's just—" She sighed, playing with a ring on a finger that was showing the beginnings of wrinkles. "There's not enough hours in a day."

Sympathy struck through you. You understood how she felt. You often felt like you could never get anything done anymore due to the build up of everything—work, school, studies. It all felt like too much, sometimes.

"On that note; it's getting rather late, dear," Mrs. Sung commented, seeing the time on the restaurant clock as she spooned some of her dinner into her mouth. "Shouldn't you let your parents know where you are?"

You blinked quickly for a moment, sucking in a sharp breath. You went quiet for a few moments, deliberating your response. Your parents had always been a rather touchy subject for you, and you preferred when people didn't interrupt the fragile structure you had build to shield yourself from any thoughts of them. Your posture stiffened, noting the air surrounding the table become tenser and tenser as each second passed. "Uh..." you stuttered out.

A wave of goosebumps flowed over your skin as you felt Hanbin rest a reassuring hand on your knee, and smile at you. "I'm sure she's mature enough to make these decisions herself, eomma." Hanbin smoothed his thumb up and down your lower thigh, just by your knee, helping to ground you to the moment, rather than allowing your mind to wander off and chase old memories.

"Ah, you're right," Mrs. Sung conceded. "Sorry for overstepping." You could tell it was heartfelt and she truly meant it.

It took a few more moments of Hanbin's swipes on your knee before you could respond. Waving your hands in front of yourself, you shook your head in dismissal. "Don't apologise, really." You already felt bad for intruding on their nice night out, and now you were creating unnecessary tension. Hanbin squeezed your thigh, as if he could read your thoughts.

By now, most of the food had been finished, and the awkward silences of the end of the night were appearing. Mrs. Sung began to gather her handbag. "Well, we better get going now, you have school tomorrow, don't you?"

"Unfortunately." You sighed dramatically

"I have practice at 7am tomorrow," Hanbin complained, sharing in your pain.

You tried to ignore the nagging feeling at the back of your head that insisted that you were probably the only reason they were out so late, anyway.

The three of you filed back into the car after thoroughly thanking the staff at the restaurant, and bickered back and forth throughout the entire drive on whether they should drop you home first or just drive straight home and let you walk from there.

"Really, it's okay! I live so close that it won't even be a 5 minute walk!"

"It's cold out, and if it's so close it won't be a bother at all!"

"But it's a waste of petrol!"

"You don't know what strange animals are lurking at this hour!"

"Like what, a polar bear?"

"You never know!"

You eventually conceded, indicating to Mrs. Sung which house was yours and letting her park outside. You thanked her profusely for dinner and for today's work shift. Hanbin walked you to the door, carrying your impossibly heavy backpack for you—ever the gentleman.

"Thank you for coming today," he told you earnestly, beaming as your eyes met. There was a slight something swimming under the tension of the air. Something you couldn't place.

"Thank you for the invite. I enjoyed myself immensely." You bowed vaguely. His smile kicked up into a full size grin.

He continued to hold the bag for you as you got out the keys and unlocked the door, only passing it to you as you managed to half shove, half elbow it open. The house had no visible lights on and was dead silent. You could probably hear a pin drop if you were listening out for it.

When he passed you the bag, your hands brushed for a few moments probably considered too long. You both bore grins, eyes glued to one another's. Heaving the bag over your shoulder, you waved goodbye to Hanbin, praying that it was too dark to see the light dusting of red covering your cheeks.

"Goodnight, Hanbin." You took a backwards step, further distancing yourself from him in hopes that you'd snap out of his trance, or at least maybe breathe a little deeper.

"Goodnight, [Y/N]. I hope I'll be seeing much more of you." With a small wave, he turned around and made his way back to the car. You only shut the door fully when you were sure the car had passed your street and then some, exhaling deeply.

You followed through your nightly routine and lay in bed, replaying the motions of the day in your head, thinking over the different conversations you engaged in. You actively made sure to ignore the conversation at dinner pertaining to your parents. You didn't need to think about them, especially not now. Not here. You focused on the way Hanbin had smiled at you, and the way your skin tingled when his fingers had brushed across your thigh. It had become a new part of your bedtime routine—rather than counting sheep, you'd count the amount of times you could remember Hanbin's thumb swiping up and down, up and down, up and down across your thigh before falling asleep.

And with that, brought another day.

Chapter Text

[UNKNOWN]: hey [y/n]! i hope it's okay that i'm messaging. i got ur number from my mom. i just wanted to say good morning and that i hope you have a good day :)

[UNKNOWN]: oh yeah...this is hanbin from yesterday btw^^

Your eyes were still red and bleary as you read through the texts. Your stomach did a little excited flip, ignoring the ungodly hours that he chose to text. It was currently 6:50am. You didn't need to be up until around 7:30am, however, your brain recalls the fact that Hanbin has classes at 7. It warmed your heart to know he was looking out for you even when he's busy during the day.

[Y/N]: morning hanbin!! you're so sweet :> enjoy your classes this morning~

After firing the text back and adding Hanbin to your contacts, you fell promptly back to sleep until your alarm made itself apparent.

School was long and gruelling, but you looked forward to your shift after work, where you prayed Hanbin would be present. You knew it was silly—your crush on the older male. You just couldn't help it. He clouded your mind constantly. Walking to school, you hoped he'd be walking in the same direction, even if just for a moment. During class, you'd drift into a daydream, thinking about how nice his fingers felt against your thigh.

You had hurried over to the café just after school finished, busying yourself with customers and rushed latte foam art. You were so busy, it seemed, that you didn't even notice when Hanbin did eventually walk in.

"I haven't seen this many people in here for ages," he proclaimed, squishing behind the counter with you to help.

Your eyes probably looked like they'd bulged out of your head. "Oh my god, when did you get here?"

Hanbin laughed. You wished you could record it and play it again on loop. "Just now."

There was a slight busy period to the job that you also hadn't experienced while working here before, but you managed to fall into unison with Hanbin , making small talk and catching up about each other's days as you both worked. "Probably only busy because of our killer new employee."

You smiled bashfully at the compliment.

The flurry of customers died down after 2 and a half hours, allowing you time to go upstairs with Hanbin to relax before your shift officially ended.

"Where's your mom?" you queried.

"She's out with some old friends for some lunch-dinner thing. You don't need to worry about her catching you off work," he told you with an added wink, nudging you slightly.

You relaxed into one of the sofa seats, relaxing in the cool of the air conditioning after the steam and heat suffocating the café.

"Didn't you say you had a test next week?" Hanbin asked, sitting across from you.

You glared at him, groaning, "Don't remind me."

"Come on, I'll help you. You just need to remember quotes right?" With your nod, he got up from his seat, standing before you with his hand outstretched. You allowed him to pull you off the couch and drag you to the table along with your heavily abused copy of Romeo and Juliet. "Which ones are the quotes you need to memorise?" He gestured to the rainbow of sticky tabs jutting out of the poor book.

"Blue," you told him. "Blue because this memorisation stuff makes me sad."

Hanbin huffed a laugh, shaking his head in mock disbelief. "Okay!" He pulled the book open to a random blue-marked page. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

"I'm gonna say a quote and you tell me who said it and where, alright?"

You nodded your understanding.

He dramatically cleared his throat, speaking loudly with an exaggerated narration voice, "If love be rough with you, be rough with love. Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down."

"Mercutio, Act 1, Scene 4."

"Very good," Hanbin nodded his approval, a hint of a smile creeping onto his face. "See how she leans her cheek upon her hand! O that I were a glove upon that hand, That I might touch that cheek!"

"Romeo, Act 2, Scene 2."

Hanbin nodded again. "My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite."

"Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2."

"Hm....What about..." He flipped randomly through the books, looking for another blue tab. "Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night." The air in the room changed. Became tenser. His eyes bore into yours, almost like he was trying to tell you something without having to say it outright.

Your phone's alarm made itself known, indicating your shift was over. You gulped. "Romeo in Act 1, Scene 5."

There was a stretch of silence, where Hanbin just looked at you. Almost as if he was admiring you. "You'd make a good Juliet," he whispered, just loud enough for you to hear.

You became entranced in his eyes. "Why's that?"

Your eyes tracked his tongue as it swiped over his lips. He took a deep breath, quickly looking away and breaking his spell over you.

You jolted up, grabbing your bag and stuffing the book inside, and slinging it over your shoulders. "I should get going. Homework," you lied, gesturing to the book as you tried to think of a satisfactory excuse.

He nodded, forcing a smile onto his face. "I'll walk you down."

Hanbin held the door to the café open, allowing you to sneak out. "Thank you for your hard work today," he told you.

"Thank you for all the help," you said, bowing deeply.

You turning away to leave, when he said, "Hey, [Y/N]." You glanced back, tilting your head to the side slightly. "Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, That I shall say good night till it be morrow."

Your face broke into a wide grin, cheeks flushing. You ignored the fact that it was still light outside, the sun peaking over the trees to swirl pink and orange hues in the sky. "Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2," you replied simply. With a wave, you turned and walked back home for the day.

***

The next day of work was downright torturous. Whatever god or larger-than-us entity allowed the building’s air conditioner to combust was evil in the least. It had to be. Because when Hanbin was standing just inches away, reaching across you to grab a cloth, you could see the outline of his torso through his sweat-drenched shirt. And you couldn’t help but drool at the sight. Looking away quickly, you prayed he didn’t notice the way you kept sneaking glances at him.

The sun had already disappeared as it neared the quiet part of your shift. As usual, Hanbin invited you upstairs to study, helping to haul your backpack up the steep stairs. "You wanna run through more lines today?" he asked, flapping his shirt to try and provide some relief to the horrific heat.

You shook your head, groaning out, "Too hot." You both lay side by side on the carpet in front of the pedestal fan. Really, you shouldn't be complaining. The heat was worse at home. Your house was probably closer to a furnace than a house. You dreaded the idea of returning home.

Hanbin laughed, biting his lip to suppress his smile. "The air conditioner is supposed to be getting fixed on Monday. But for now, maybe some ice cream will help?" He gave you a gentle nudge, as if trying to convince you of the idea. Foolish, really, because who would ever turn down ice cream on a day like this? Or ever, really.

"You know I would never turn down ice cream. Especially not when I'm dying from heat stroke," you replied, peeling yourself from the carpet and following him to the freezer. Hanbin left the tub of ice cream on the counter for a few minutes to soften, giving the two of you enough time to shove your faces into the freezer, moaning at how nice the icy frost felt against your cheeks.

After heaping ice cream into each of your bowls, you both sat in front of the fan, indulging on ice cream slathered in hardened chocolate sauce. You both made small talk for a while, giggling at each other's jokes while scooping ice cream into your mouths, SpongeBob playing on TV in the background. You had both bonded over a shared passion of the sponge character, finding that you both had been obsessed over the show as kids, even still watching it to this day—clearly. "Oh, I had something I'd been meaning to tell you," Hanbin said suddenly.

"Oh?" You pushed down the worry that bubbled to the surface, doing your best to ignore it. What could Hanbin possibly have been wanting to tell you? Are you fired? Is Mrs. Sung okay? Does he secretly hate you?

"My friend is having a party this weekend," he told you. The built up stress in your body deflated like a balloon, allowing your shoulders to relax from the tensed state they had been in. "It's more of a college party," he continued. "But I thought you might be interested. I think some of the people from your school will be there, too. I'll text you the detail if you want?"

You nodded. "Sounds good!"

The front door slammed open to huffing Mrs. Sung. "Ahhh, who let the weather get so hot," she complained, dropping two armfuls of plastic bags onto the kitchen counter. She looked around the room and seemed to notice you there. "[Y/N]!" she exclaimed, mouth shaping into a shocked oval. "Your shift finished an hour and a half ago!"

Your eyes bulged slightly, checking the time on your phone. "Oh, I'm so sorry Mrs. Sung, the time must've escaped me."

Mrs. Sung fussed on how you were going to get home in the darkness outside, but you ensured her you'd be fine and see her back next week for your next shift. "Goodnight!" you called, closing the front door behind you and trailing out of the café, locking the door behind you and making your way home, hauling your bag over your shoulder.

You had only made it a few steps away from the café when your phone pinged. Fishing it out of your backpack, your face lit up.

[HANBIN]: saturday 8:30pm, 123 sesame street <3

Your face flushed, eyes lingering on the heart he had left at the end of the message. Looking back toward the café, you saw Hanbin staring out the window, waving at you with a grin on his face. Your cheeks reddened further, replying with your own smile and wave. You turned back around, shooting off a quick text as you began to walk back home.

[Y/N]: see you then :) <3

That was the moment it hit you. You were unconditionally and irrevocably in love with Sung Hanbin.

Chapter Text

You had absolutely no idea what to expect as you nudged the door to 123 Sesame Street open, but the blaring of "Barbie Girl" and the overwhelming stench of booze and cigarettes hovering in the air was not it.

It had been a few days since you'd seen Sung Hanbin. His invitation to the party had come as a shock. Similar to the tingling shock-like feeling that zapped up your spine as you stepped inside the house and instantly met his eyes from across the room.

He stood with a half-empty bottle in his hand next to a shorter male with light brown hair. Hanbin sent you a wave that you reciprocated as you walked deeper into the throng of people to stand beside him, glancing warily at your surroundings – bottles lined the walls, open half-eaten food covered every surface, and moving, dancing bodies in the main room were screaming their lungs out, "IM A BARBIE GIRL IN A BARBIE WOOOORLD."

"Hey! I'm glad you made it," Hanbin greeted you, flashing his usual dazzling smile. He indicated the man beside him. "This is Matthew. Matthew, this is [Y/N]."

You bowed your head in greeting. "Nice to meet you."

Matthew gave a short bow back, smiling cheekily. "So this is [Y/N], huh?" He nudged Hanbin who rolled his eyes, sporting a slight flush.

You raised an eyebrow at Hanbin but he just shook his head.

Another man, a bit older than the three of you, walked over and whispered something in Matthew's ear which caused his eyebrows to shoot up and his cheeks to redden. Matthew allowed the dark-haired man to drag him off into a different room. His exit was announced with a loud slamming of a door.

"He seemed...nice?" you said, posing it as a question as you turned back to Hanbin.

"He's one of my oldest friends," he confessed. "We met in pre-school."

You opened your mouth to comment, but another man walked over. Well, maybe stumbled is a better word. You knew Hanbin was popular because of his kind charm and quick wit, but you never knew the extent of it.

"Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnniiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeee," the approaching man groaned, crumpling into Hanbin's arms. "I 'on't feel so goo'." His arrival brought the heavy waft of alcohol, even more evident from the deep flush to his cheeks. This man was so far gone, you wouldn't be surprised his he up-ended all of his drinks all over you.

"Gyuvin, what did we talk about before we got here?" Hanbin chastised, face scrunching in disapproval.

"'Don't drink too much'," the other man recounting, hiccupping.

Hanbin shook his head, patting the other man's back. "Let's get you to the bathroom before you puke." He flashed you an apologetic smile and wave before dragging the other man away down the hall.

A few moments later you could hear the unmistakable sound of someone hurling their guts into a toilet bowl. Then, a laughing shout from a white-haired man outside the bathroom saying, "Gyuvin can't drink for shit!" The house erupted into laughter.

Around half an hour passed. You'd sat yourself on the corner seat of a well-worn couch, nursing a bottle you'd managed to withhold yourself from chugging, and picked at the candy platter sitting on the table before you. It was relatively peaceful for a while, if you ignore the horde before you that was "singing" to a playlist of pop music.

That is, until someone sat themselves next to you, extending a hand to you. "Hey, I'm Jongwoo," he told you, smiling kindly. The old couch's peeling leather cried in agony at the added weight.

You shook his hand and returned his bright smile. "Nice to meet you, Jongwoo. I'm [Y/N]."

"That's a beautiful name."

You bit your lip in a bashful smile, deciding to take another sip of your drink rather than embarrass yourself.

"May I tempt you to a dance?" He stood and offered a hand, gesturing to the dance floor with his head, where the mass of bodies was starting to thin out, overly tired from giving it their all to "Barbie Girl".

You contemplated for a quick moment, considering his outreached hand. You didn't want to be rude to the guy, and you weren't sure how much longer Hanbin would take – or if he'd even return, it'd already been half an hour. You took a final drink from your bottle, emptying it out and refiling your courage, you placed your hand in his, allowing him to drag you to the centre of the dance floor.

It was then that the song changed over from Lady Gaga to Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie".

You giggled, placing your hands around his neck as his settled on your hips, shaking to the beat.

"You're not from the university," he whispered into your ear over the blaring music.

You hummed in agreement, moving your mouth toward his ear. "Si," you said in time with the lyrics. "I graduate in a month."

He nodded at that, smiling at your wit. He spun you so that his front was facing your back, allowing you to casually grind back against him to the beat with an arm around his neck. "How'd you end up here?"

"Someone dragged me to the dance floor, remember? Or am I just that distracting?" you teased, spinning back to face him.

He chuckled, biting his lip. "Very distracting." His hands dipped lower, resting just before the curve of your ass. "Who invited you tonight?" he reiterated.

It was then that, behind Jongwoo's back, you saw Hanbin walking back into the main room from the bathroom, wiping his hands on his pants. He met your gaze and paused mid-step, eyes widening and eyebrows furrowing.

Your heart sunk. A stirring feel begun in your chest, as if you'd been caught in the middle of a heinous act. You knew you weren't doing anything technically wrong. He'd invited you to a party...so you were partying. Plus, he'd left for such a long time, you didn't even know if he was still here (even though, deep down, you definitely knew he was). You were allowed to dance with someone else. You were.

Averting your eyes back to Jongwoo, you tucked one of your stray hairs back behind your ear. "Hanbin invited me."

Jongwoo choked out a laugh at that.

"What?"

"It's just..." His laugh turned rough. "You're not the usual crowd he shares."

You glanced back to where you'd seen Hanbin behind Jongwoo. He had disappeared to sit with a group of men, setting an already-empty bottle being on the table. It was then that you realised that over half the crowd had dwindled and left along with the booze.

"What's that mean?" you asked, scrunching your eyebrows.

He shook his head, gesturing with his hand for you to forget about it.

"Hey!" someone shouted. A few moments later, Shakira shuttered off. "Come play truth or dare!"

The dance floor – or what was left of it – along with Hanbin's group, moved to form a messy circle around the floor with a single empty beer bottle in the middle.

"You down?" Jongwoo asked.

You shrugged. "Might as well." You quickly went to the kitchen, grabbing yourself a red solo cup of whatever was left floating in the punch bowl, and sat yourself between Jongwoo and another man who introduced himself as Taerae.

Your mind kept churning, nervous about what Jongwoo meant. Glancing around the circle, you noted the inherent lack of women in the group – with you and only two other girls, both of which were clearly a couple with the way they clung to each other. You took a long swig from the cup, hoping the guys took the questions easy.

There was a quick run-through of the rules: the bottle spins, whoever it lands on either chooses truth or dare, and the person who went before them gets to choose what truth or dare they do. For the first round, everyone agreed that whoever was on the left of the spinner got to choose the truth or dare.

Due to there being people from different friend groups and schools, the group also decided to quickly go around the circle to give everyone a chance to introduce themselves.

So far, you noted the people around the circle as Taerae, Jiwoong - who you recognised as the one who kidnapped Matthew, Matthew - whose neck was now filled with hickeys, Hanbin, Zhang Hao, Ricky, Gyuvin – who you recognised from before, Hui, Hannah, Katelyn, Jay, Keita, and Jongwoo.

"I heard he's one of the teachers at the university," Taerae whispered to you, snapping you out of your spiralling thoughts.

"Hm? Who?" You glanced around the group, confused.

"Hui," he said. "He was in this big-time idol group but left to teach as a professor. Isn't that crazy?"

"Probably got tired of being stalked all the time," you uttered back.

Your attention snapped back to the centre of the circle when you heard the scraping noise of glass on wood – someone had begun spinning the bottle.

Across from where you sat, Hanbin watched the bottle spin and slow in his general area. The room ooooh'd, until it eventually stopped on Hui.

There was a collective breath of relief.

Hannah, sitting to his left, then pitched the question, "Truth or dare?"

Hui gave it a minute, thinking over his options, before responding, "Truth, since I can't trust you guys not to dare me to give you all an A+ for the year." He shook his head in mock disappointment, grin ever present on his face. From what you'd seen so far, he seemed to be a relatively nice guy. You saw him earlier ensuring that Gyuvin was okay and that Ricky was watching his alcohol. He seemed, similar to Hanbin, a mother to the group.

"Are you dating anyone at the moment?" Hannah asked as the truth.

"That’s what you guys care about?" Hui exclaimed, flailing his arms. "You can ask me any question and you want to know about my love life?"

"Sounds like he's deflecting," Jongwoo whispered to you, purposefully loud enough for everyone to hear.

Hui narrowed his eyes at Jongwoo, clearly teasing. Hanbin's clenched jaw didn't escape your notice.

"So that's why you retired to teaching," you blurted accidentally.

Everyone glanced over at you, sharing noises of confusion. But to you, the facts just lined up too neatly.

"To start a family. To start a real life without cameras and fans and stalkers and... the whole shebang?"

Hui looked at you like he was really seeing you for the first time. Like he held something akin to respect for you. "Yes," he said simply.

You nodded at him, letting him know you, too, respected him and his decisions.

"I guess fame isn't everything," Hannah said, shrugging and cuddling close to Katelyn.

"Fame is nothing," Hui muttered, taking a large gulp of his drink. No one pushed the conversation.

You followed Hui's footsteps, finishing off your drink. You glanced at the bottom of the cup, a little confused why there was sticky residue at the bottom, but threw out your cup and decided not to think twice about what the boys had decided to fuel the punch with.

After around half an hour, you had gotten up and finished another cup of punch, Matthew had been dared to call his mother and tell him he's pregnant, Taerae sang a ballad, Gyuvin promised the group he would control his alcohol next time, and Hao did a speed dance to 5 different girl group songs within a minute.

You didn't know if it was the amount of alcohol you'd ingested or what, but your head was starting to grow fuzzy.

"[Y/N]," Jongwoo said, tapping your shoulder.

"Hm?" You looked over, snapping out of your momentary trance, staring at the spinning bottle that you now realised was pointing at you. "Oh. Fuck."

"Truth or dare?" Hao asked.

You didn't need much time for deliberation – truth would be too much. There was too much that could go wrong. Too many risks with them, whether it be sexual questions, romantic questions, personal questions, Hanbin-Jongwoo questions... "Dare," you said, praying they didn't hear the quiver in your voice.

"Sit on Hanbin's lap for the rest of the game."

This time it definitely wasn't the drink that made your head empty out. You blurted out a pathetic, "What?" It was high and pitchy.

"Sit," Hao enunciated slowly, as if you were a child. "On. His. Lap." He pointed a finger beside him. Toward Hanbin. Toward the guy you'd been hoping would suddenly forget you existed. Toward the guy who was now staring at you with saucer-wide eyes.

The group laughed, glancing between Hanbin and you.

You passed a glance and Jongwoo – who seemed more intrigued than annoyed at Hao for stealing you away to Hanbin again – before finally working up the courage to look back at Hanbin.

You could hear him quietly reprimanding Hao, his face redder than you'd ever seen it.

For the nth time tonight, your eyes met. You worried your lip between your teeth, and finally struggled to a stand. Your knees were weak. Weaker than they ought to have been. You made the short trek across the circle, eyes boring into your back. Your heart slammed into your chest, head still fuzzy. Everything felt so slow. But you managed to drop yourself between Hanbin's legs and lean your back against his front, your head resting on his shoulder.

Hao seemed pleased, nodding at you and moving forward to spin the bottle for you.

"You okay?" Hanbin whispered into your ear. Goosebumps shot up and down your arms, your spine tingling at the soft, comforting sound of his voice.

From where you lay against him, you could see the worried crease in his eyebrows and the way he nibbled anxiously on his lip up close. "Did you finally decide to steal me away from Jongwoo?" You hoped it sounded more teasing than accusatory.

Hanbin went rigid beneath you.

He was jealous, you realised.

THE Sung Hanbin was jealous.

"[Y/N], you gotta ask the question," Jay called.

You looked around to see who the bottle had landed on.

Jongwoo.

Jongwoo smirked at you, chuckling as he eyed both you and Hanbin.

Hanbin curled his arms protectively around your waist, causing you to be brought even closer against him. Your heart leapt into your throat at the wall of heat behind you.

"Do your worst," Jongwoo taunted.

"Truth or dare?"

"Dare," he replied smugly.

You pondered for a moment, making a show of rubbing your imaginary beard. Your arm felt limp as you did it. Fucking alcohol. "I dare you to order us all pizza."

The group laughed and cheered, screaming their preferred orders at Jongwoo whose face fell when he realised just how much you'd cost him.

"Steal you, hm?" Hanbin asked. He had a grin on his face that he was trying to bite back, but he couldn’t stop the overwhelming look and feeling of pride that washed over him. Hanbin felt like you'd chosen him, you realised.

You pressed yourself impossibly closer to his chest, leaning back on his shoulder again to reach his ear. "No need to be jealous, Binnie," you teased, repeating the endearing term you'd heard Gyuvin use earlier.

You reached across Hanbin to grab the cola he'd been sipping, brushing against his firmly muscled chest, and brought it to your mouth. You shared a smile with Hanbin as you raised the cup to your mouth.

Your heart felt like it stopped the second your hand went limp, brain emptying out as dark icy liquid spilled all over your chest and down your thighs.

The plastic cup clattered against the carpet, mostly empty by the time it hit the floor.

Hanbin slid out from behind you in favour of crawling in front of you to check you over for any imminent harm. "Are you okay?" he asked worriedly, reaching out to help you up.

"I'm fine," you reassured him. "Just...wet." You grimaced. Jongwoo chuckled behind you. Hanbin sent him a glare.

Your shirt was plastered to your chest, showing off more than what was likely appropriate.

Hanbin helped you up and ushered you to the bathroom, where you planted yourself on top of the countertop after he entered behind you and locked the door. He dug through the cabinets below your swinging legs and fished out a hand towel, dampening it slightly and then paused, towel raised just before your chest. "Can I...?" His face had never been this hue of red before.

You took his wrist, guiding it to the wet stains covering your breasts, and allowed him to dab at your shirt as you sagged against the mirror behind you. Due to you being laid-back, Hanbin had to step closer, his legs pressed against the counter and your legs hanging either side of him. It was obvious how hard he was breathing.

"Are you okay?"

He looked up, obviously confused. "I'm okay. Are you?"

As your breaths mingled together in the closely shared space, you confessed, "I think the punch was spiked." You glanced from his eyes to his lips, then down to his tattoo on his chest, depicting the sun, a star, and the moon.

Hanbin nodded, eyes trained back on your shirt in a way you could tell he was trying and failing not to look at your cleavage now visible through the soaked material. "I don't know how you drank that crap. Tastes like battery acid," he murmured.

You shrugged. "I feel fine, my arms and legs are just...shaky."

Hanbin seemed familiar with its effects. "I'll stay with you till it wears off. Or until you get home."

He continued to dab at the sopping shirt and your jeans, failing miserably at drying them. It was beginning to seem an impossible task. Your breath hitched as the towel pressed over your nipple through your bra and the soggy material, biting back any noises that threatened to escape.

"Sorry," he said softly, placing a gentle hand on your shoulder to steady himself.

On instinct, you reached out to trace your nail over the lines of his tattoo. He froze between your legs, his eyes shooting up to your face as your finger trailed across a collarbone.

"[Y/N]," he spoke, voice rough, almost pleading.

"Can I kiss you?" Your voice was soft and barely audible. Still, with the way he swallowed thickly, you knew he'd heard you.

You wrapped your arms around his neck, shifting yourself closer toward him, so your face was just in front of his. You fiddled with the collar of his shirt, as if begging him to agree.

"Yes. God, please, yes."

You moved first, pulling him into a deep kiss, his arms encasing your waist and trailing up your spine. His fingers slid into your soft hair, both revelling in its smooth feel and protecting your head as it almost bumped into the mirror behind you. Your heart stammered, feeling like it would beat out of your chest as your legs, swinging limply beside him, came up to cross behind his backside, pulling him impossibly closer. Hanbin tasted like vodka and salty chips and he kissed with an urgency, as if to stake a claim saying 'mine mine mine'. Everything felt like smooth, warm, liquid gold enveloping your mouth, your mind, your body. It was a delicious, boneless sensation you'd never felt before, like stars were dancing over your closed eyes. You sunk your teeth into his bottom lip and he gasped into your mouth, before you both were pulling apart to share in long, gasping breaths.

"Fuck," he muttered, eyes opening to share a look of loving disbelief with you.

"Was that okay?"

Hanbin nodded emphatically. "More than okay." That earned him a grin.

"Good." A few moments of silence passed as you both caught your breath, grips on each other loosening slightly. You weren't sure if it would kill the mood, but you knew you had to ask the question eating away at your brain. "What did Jongwoo mean when said that 'I'm not the usual crowd you share.'"

Hanbin laughed, scratching the back of his head. "He really said that?"

You nodded.

"I think he thought I was gay," he said simply.

"Why on earth would he think that?"

"Because most of my friends are." He shrugged. "I'm – I'm not though, just so that's clear." He laughed awkwardly, biting his lip where you'd left an indent.

You giggled at his cute display. "Binnie, you know we're not going to be able to my shirt dry, right?"

Hanbin frowned, disappointed. "I could go find a shirt, if you'd like? Or you could borrow mine?"

"While offering the shirt off your back may be the most romantic thing anyone's ever done for me, I will have to pass. It's getting late so I should start heading home," you explained.

"I'll walk you home," Hanbin offered quickly. "I'm not sure I trust you enough to make it home without face-planting into the pavement."

"You sure it's not just to spend more time with me?" you teased, kicking weakly against his ankle.

Hanbin gaped dramatically. "Oh no! You've foiled my evil mastermind plans!"

You tilted your head to the side and levelled him a flat look. "Absolutely no 'evil mastermind' would say that."

"And you're an expert on evil masterminds?"

"Oh, absolutely." You nodded like this was obvious information.

"We'll see about that," Hanbin said, wrapping his arms around your waist and hoisting you to a standing position, leaving an arm extended in case your legs give out again.

You casually took his hand in yours, smiling brightly at him. "We will. And you'll be devastated when I save the town from your villainy."

Hanbin shrugged. "That's okay, I'm fine with enemies to lovers."

***

You and Hanbin made a quick exit from the party, waving goodbye's and spouting fast excuses and promises to see them again.

Your house was only a few streets over, but you held Hanbin's hand the whole way, teasing each other about Disney villains with gentle, playful nudges.

You couldn't help the sinking feeling that fizzled in your stomach as you both reached your front door.

Unlocking the door and swinging it open, you turned to look at him. "No 'Romeo and Juliet' quotes this time?"

Hanbin didn't seem to catch what you were saying, though, as he was too busy trying to peer over your shoulder to see into the house. "Are your parents home?"

A further, gut-wrenching pause. "Uh – no. They won't be home tonight."

Hanbin's face scrunched unhappily. "But..." He sounded helpless and lost.

"I'll be fine," you promised him. "Really."

"Could I...stay over? Just to watch you...make sure there aren't any side effects," he asked quietly.

You knew he would easily take no as an answer. He wasn't the type to shove you aside and trudge his way through your house without permission. He respected you, including your privacy. But he also cared for you. Deeply. And that included your health. And the puppy-dog eyes he was sporting right now was making "no" seem an impossible answer.

"Okay," you said, resigned, stepping aside for him to enter. As he went to enter, you put a hand in front of him. "One rule," you told him. At his nod, you continued. "No questions, not tonight."

"No questions," he vowed.

You grasped his hand again, and while you still had the glow of the moonlight, you locked the front door.