s.c.s. ☆ j.jh ☆ ayakashi series | ✔

jaehyun [sixteen]

Finally, you found a suitable place to stargaze and stopped, watching Jaehyun put out the blanket that had been in the pack on his back. You laid down on it, lacing your hands behind your head as a cushion. Immediately, you were amazed by the night sky. You weren't too far from the city, so there wasn't an incredible amount of stars, but it was definitely more than you could see from your apartment.

Jaehyun laid beside you, draping a blanket over your legs. You let out a deep sigh, finally feeling relaxed again. But just a few minutes later, the coolness of the nighttime mountain air, ground, and breeze got to you, and you found yourself borderline shivering.

"Jae, I'm cold," you grumbled, tucking your chilly fingers under your back.

"Well come here," he opened up his arms for you, and you immediately scooted closer into them, letting him pull you to his chest. He rubbed a hand up and down your arm, tucking you under his chin and pulling the blanket tighter around the two of you, "Warm?"

"Yeah..." you mumbled, heat now rushing to your cheeks instead.

He hummed contentedly, and you prayed that he couldn't see your bashful features in the dim lighting.

"You lied to me on purpose, didn't you?"

"I didn't lie; I said you wouldn't need a jacket. And you don't, you've got me."

"Ah, technicalities."

Jaehyun snickered, squeezing you just a little tighter, and you hoped he couldn't feel how fast your heart was beating against him.

"So, any constellations to point out to me?" He asked.

"Nope," you answered truthfully.

"You're the one who wanted to go on a stargazing date."

"Yeah, and? Doesn't mean I know anything about them, I just think they're cool."

He chuckled, the sound vibrating against you, "I shouldn't have expected anything else."

Your next witty retort had just formed on your lips when your throat seized up. You coughed awkwardly through it, more focused on what had stopped you. A Wraith. You could sense it, nearby.

"Woah, Y/N, you good?" Jaehyun gently patted your back. "Want some water?"

"Fine, fine, I don't know what that was," you absentmindedly answered, actually paying attention to the Wraith sensation. It was getting closer.

Jumping up to your feet, you grabbed your phone from your pocket, plausible story already forming in your mind, "I'm getting a call, sorry. I'll be right back."

And you took off into the trees, beelining for the Wraith. No way were you about to let this Wraith ruin your date. Or, at least, you weren't going to let it attack your date. You seemed to be doing pretty well ruining the date for yourself without any help from a Wraith. You couldn't see much in the dark, but it wasn't too far away, maybe a five or six second jog. Definitely still within a reasonable earshot of Jaehyun. Thankfully, you had just learned how to banish Wraiths with no incantation that day.

The Wraith was alone, just kind of hovering there. But oddly enough, now that you were closer to it, you sense something else. Something mixed in with the Wraith sensation. Something oddly familiar. It made no move to attack you, seemingly looking right into your soul. And you were looking right back, lost in the red orbs.

"Mark?" You blurted out, head tilted to the side and brow furrowed.

Then all at once the Wraith was gone.

You were stood there frozen until you heard Jaehyun's voice just a second later.

"Y/N?"

"Yeah, over here," you turned back towards him to call out.

Jaehyun emerged through the trees, odd look on his face, "Did I hear you say Mark?"

"He uh—he called me, I wasn't expecting it. Told him not to bother me any more tonight."

"Okay, well you didn't have to run out here to tell him off. I would've enjoyed hearing that back at the blanket," he joked half-heartedly.

"I'll remember that for next time, then," you tried to quip back.

"Next time..."

"There's going to be a next time, right?" You asked nervously, picking at your fingernails. "Despite the... everything."

"What do you mean?"

"I've been acting all, you know, weird. Unless you think this is my perfectly normal behavior, then I need to do some serious self-reflection."

Jaehyun shook his head, "No, you have been a bit off tonight. I figured you just thought this was too weird, us going on a date."

"No, no!" You immediately went to reassure him, moving towards him to grab his hand and squeeze it. "I'm just... nervous, okay?"

"Alright," he grinned brightly, lacing his fingers with yours to start leading the way back.

Sitting back on the blanket with Jaehyun, you prayed for no more distractions or unfortunate events that you'd have to cover for. You just wanted a nice, normal date. Jaehyun sat down first, and you immediately snuggled up against his side, for warmth, and to prove to yourself that you could get over your own nerves. Your "SCS" wasn't going to get the better of you. This was going to be a nice date, even if it killed you. Which, hopefully it wouldn't, because you definitely wanted to go on a second date. And third.

He wrapped his arms back around you, pulling you closer until you were half-sitting on his lap, which you didn't mind. And you two talked. You chatted about this and that, school and work, family and friends. He told you about a new book he had been reading, and you told him about the crime drama you had been watching. When he brought up the fact that he had barely finished grading the quizzes for his Composition I class before he left to pick you up, you suddenly remembered that he was a TA. Specifically, your TA.

You sat up a little straighter to question, "Is this even allowed? Can you date a student in a class that you're a TA for?"

Jaehyun exhaled before answering honestly, "It's... definitely frowned upon. But as long as I don't show any bias towards you academically, then they can't do anything about it."

"So you're not going to give me all the answers for the tests? Well, never mind then," you said jokingly, placing your hands down on the blanket as if you were going to push yourself up and out of his arms.

But he just tightened his hold on you and pulled you back to his chest, humming teasingly, "Too late to back out now."

"Aw, shucks. Guess I'll just date you for you, then," you sighed, leaning against him happily. After a moment, you slyly asked, "First date and it's too late?"

"Y/N," he sighed out your name, clasping a hand over your cheek to lift your head up and press your foreheads together. "I have been trying to figure out how to ask you out for years. So for me, at least, it's too late."

"Are you shitting me?"

"Nope."

"How many years, exactly?"

"Honestly, since high school," he chuckled awkwardly, his breath fanning over your face as his eyes were downcast, looking to your laps. And that was the first time that whole night that you could tell that he wasn't this cool, suave guy who had this whole thing planned out to woo you. He was just as nervous as you were, just better at hiding it.

You breathed out, "Woah."

"Not that I've been creepily pining after you since high school," he rushed to explain his previous confession. "But I've just always kind of liked you, and... the opportunity never presented itself, I guess? I'm not explaining this very well, am I?"

"I think I get what you're trying to say," you reassured him, placing your own hand over his on your cheek.

"You do?"

"Yeah," you nodded slightly, your forehead pushing against his for a moment before you leaned forward, slotting your lips with his.

Jaehyun let out a small noise of surprise, one that was muffled against your mouth, before he relaxed into it, kissing you back softly.