NCT Imagines (Requests Open!)

From Across the Room (Lucas)

The music was so loud, you could feel the bass vibrating within your bones.  Your head throbbed with a migraine, and you tried to keep your nausea at bay.  To you, the smell of alcohol combined with sweat was a terrible combination and made you sick to your stomach.  Parties were not your thing.  You didn't understand the concept of drinking and blacking out only to wake up in a foreign place.  But the most unappealing part was the possibility of not remembering the night before.

Your friends grabbed more drinks, dancing in the center of the room.  They laughed with the host of the party, Winwin.  He didn't look like much of a party person either, but it was always the quiet ones that took you by surprise.  

"I'm guessing this isn't your scene either, huh?" 

You jumped a little at the unfamiliar voice and turned only to lock eyes with the hottest boy that probably ever existed.  He was easily six feet tall, and his body was built like a Greek statue's.  But the most captivating part of him was his eyes.  They were a light brown and caught the light beautifully.  His image made you a little wary, however.  He looked like the type of boy your friends had always warned you about.

"I'm not the kind of guy you're thinking of.  I'm just not a party person, and I saw you from across the room.  I thought maybe you might be just like me."

You smiled.  "Wow, I didn't think there would be anyone else here who wasn't into this kind of stuff.  Did your friends drag you here, too?"

The guy shook his head.  "I'm actually roommates with the host.  A few of us stay here together.  We've been best friends for years, so living together is a dream.  It makes hanging out a lot easier."

"Whoa that sounds awesome!" you giggled.  Truly.  That sounded amazing compared to the life you were living.  You stayed all by yourself in a small studio apartment.  There was enough space for a roommate, but your friends already had places.  Every day, you ate each meal except for lunch alone.  You decorated your studio well, but it was still so empty and lonely.

"So, what kind of work do you do?" he asked.

Now this was the kind of question you liked to answer.  "I'm a biologist, so my field team collects water samples and sends them to my lab for me to analyze.  I can detect if there's any toxins in the water or if it's safe to swim in certain areas."

Lucas was blown away.  He'd never met anyone who'd ever done anything like that before.  "Oh, I work as a songwriter, so I guess we live very different lifestyles.  Tell me more about the lab.  What's the most interesting story you've got?"

You thought for a second.  "One time, there was this poisonous algae off the southern coast here in Korea, and people were getting allergic reactions and stuff.  It was too many cases to be coincidental, so my team looked into it.  We found out the algae was an invasive species, so we've been treating it with some non-toxic chemicals that steer the algae away from the shores.  It was scary while it lasted."

Lucas could hear you talk about your research for hours.  And your voice was very calm and soothing.  It drowned out the obnoxious bass and the pungent smell.  

"So tell me.  How do you get inspiration for your songs?" you asked as Lucas led you to another room far away from the noise.  There was a large grand piano in the center, and he gestured to it.

"I see things that happen in daily life and come home and hash it out on the Steinway.  I always see my friends struggling with romance, and then there's my own struggles."

"Sorry if this seems intrusive, but how are you struggling with your romantic life?  I mean, you're really handsome, and you're such a nice human being!" you protested.

The guy in front of you heaved a sigh.  "They don't care for my personality.  They just want me for my looks.  They don't care that I want to marry the person I date and that I don't like fooling around like that."

You were definitely shocked by that one.  You had always shared the same idea of dating with the thought of marriage in mind.  You didn't believe in hooking up as a way to relieve the stresses life offered.  But the problem was that you'd never met anyone who shared the same philosophy.  First of all, you were super shy.  You were only at this party because your friends had dragged you and needed a sober friend around.  And people didn't exactly go to parties to find the most wholesome people to date either.

"That's understandable.  I'm the same way."  You noticed the type of clothes the guy in front of you was wearing- black fitted jeans and a nice Hawaiian print button-down.  There was no leather jacket or ripped jeans that the other boys sported.

An awkward silence filled the space you two shared, and the guy coughed.  "I just realized I never introduced myself.  I'm Lucas."

You quickly shook his hand, telling him your own name.  

"It was nice meeting you, but I think I'm gonna have to go to my room.  My head really hurts from all this music, so I'm gonna call it a night."  He walked past you, and you heard the creak of a door closing down the hallway.  Were you that bad at conversation?  You slowly made your way down the stairs, drowning Lucas out of your thoughts.  For once, you thought you had stumbled across someone compatible.  The chances of you seeing Lucas again were slim.  You didn't even have a chance to ask for his number.

A week later, you were at the grocery store picking up some stuff for dinner when you spotted a familiar tall, lean figure.  He wore an oversized hoodie paired with some loose sweatpants and a baseball cap.  But when he turned and squinted in your direction, you realized it was none other than Lucas.

Truthfully, Lucas had spotted you as soon as he set foot into the grocery store.  He had been pushing his cart alongside the vegetables when he noticed your frame.  Once again, you had managed to capture his attention from across the room.  

That night, he hadn't meant to leave you hanging by a thread.  He had been so excited and nervous that he needed to escape and get his head on straight.  The fact that he had met someone with the same mindset blew him away.  The girls that surrounded him were not his style.  He couldn't tell if they were wearing swimsuits or clothes.

But once he felt your eyes on him in the store, he had to make his way over.  He greeted you with a sincere smile, unaware at the fact that you're heart was beating double the rate of his.  

"Hey, Y/N!  I see you're preparing to cook up a storm.  Are you and your roommates making dinner together?"

You sadly shook your head.  "Unfortunately, I don't have any roommates.  I'm buying in bulk to cook for the week.  It's difficult to cook a meal every day after work."

Lucas noticed the tired expression beneath her smile.  "What about if I started coming over to help you cook?  I know some mean pasta recipes.  And maybe you could teach me some stuff you've got up your sleeve.  I mean... that's only if you want to.  I just thought it might be a better way for us to get to know each other."

You grinned so hard that your cheeks hurt.  You could already see yourself in your kitchen, working side-by-side with Lucas and sharing meals together.

"I'd love to."

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A/N: When I watch dramas and read books, I notice that a lot of characters are always drawn to the "bad boy" character.  However, that's never been that attractive to me and thought I might write about it.  Hope you enjoyed this wholesome Lucas content :)

Question of the imagine: Would you rather live alone or have roommates to come home to at the end of the day?  For me, I think having one or two other roommates would be nice because then I'd never be alone.  It'd be fun to cook together and enjoy each other's company.