The Sound of Magic (Ri Eul x Reader)

"Are You A Fake... Or Just Crazy?"

I don't wait for her response before I'm crouching in front of her, pulling up her pant leg a little so I can examine her foot. 

"It still hurts a bit," she says as I take a closer look. "I could probably walk on it, though."

"I don't know," I reply, touching it gingerly. "It looks pretty swollen right now."

"Well, I'll have to go home sooner or later," she points out. "It might take a while, but I can make it back on this. One thing's for sure: I'm not going to let you carry me all the way there again."

"Hmmm, I don't like it," I say. The idea of her walking all the way back on a twisted ankle doesn't sit well with me. 

"I'll be fine, Min-ah," she tells me with a reassuring voice. 

"Nope. Not happening. I'm making an executive decision," I tell her evenly. "You're not going home tonight."

There's a drawn out pause after those words leave my mouth.

I look up to see why she's not responding. It's not until I see a faint blush creeping along Y/N's surprised face that I realize the double meaning of what I just said. I start to feel my cheeks warm up as well, but I'm not sure why. After all, I had meant the comment completely innocently.... hadn't I?

"What I meant," I say slowly after a moment or two, "was that you should stay here tonight, and go back in the morning, when your ankle will hopefully be a little better."

It's okay, just move on like it didn't happen, I tell myself. I clear my throat awkwardly and duck my head again, suddenly becoming very interested in her foot once more. 

"Let's take these off before it swells any more," I say after a moment, referring to her shoe and sock. I don't dare look up at her for a while, worried the blush on her face might make me more flustered. As I start to unlace her shoe, I'm surprised by the sudden sound of her quiet laughter. 

I glance up at her in surprise, my fingers stopping their work for a moment. 

"What?" I ask, a little self-consciously. 

"You're cute when you're flustered," she explains, her hand covering her mouth to silence her amusement. 

"This coming from the one who's still blushing," I retort easily, noting her still-rosy cheeks. 

"Touche," she admits with a small laugh. I let out a small laugh too, mostly at myself. 

We both recover rather quickly, and with the tension between us gone, I resume untying her shoe, gently pulling it off her swollen foot with some difficulty. As her shoe comes off, I hear her open her mouth again.

"Min-ah?" she asks quietly. My heart literally skips a beat every time I hear my name on her lips. This time is no different. 

I hum in response as I work on getting her sock off too.

"What are we?" 

I pull her sock off successfully and then look up at her again, not quite understanding the question.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"I mean, we've never really verbally acknowledged what we are to each other. I just... wanted to know what our relationship is?" 

I hope the confusion doesn't show on my face when I look at her. I didn't think it needed to be said, but... I'll say it for her.

"You're my girlfriend. We're together." I say matter-of-factly, stuffing her sock into her shoe and placing it on the bench beside her. My eyes meet hers again and I see a wide smile spread across her face.