a smile danced across the brunette's face as her eyes drifted towards jeno.
his side profile was absolutely stunning, brows slightly lowered as he concentrated on the road ahead. one hand was gripping the wheel firmly, the other resting against the edge of the open window. all hyerim could do was sit and shamelessly admire the boy beside her. how could she not?
jeno caught on too quickly, allowing his eyes to drift her way long enough to flash a small smile. hyerim watched intently as the boy pulled his elbow from the window to place it on the wheel, releasing the said wheel with the hand closer to her and let it sit on his thigh. the brunette glanced away with a smile when he wiggled his brow, hiding her blush by gazing out of her own open window.
the wind blew through, flipping her wavy hair around her face, but hyerim didn't mind. it'd been too long since her last peaceful drive (rip ms. lee's rose garden), and she couldn't stop smiling knowing that it was happening with her soulmate beside her.
wordlessly, the girl kept her eyes on the view to her right as she reached over and pulled jeno's empty hand off his thigh, filling it gently in her own soft hand.
a smile grew on the elder's face as he momentarily glanced down at his thigh, slowly intertwining their fingers and caressing her exposed skin with his thumb, careful not to accidentally touch the band-aids.
hyerim leaned her cheek against her closed fist, hoping the blush covering her face would fade quickly. she quietly hummed along to the old katy perry song on the radio, ignoring the tingles that danced up her arm every time jeno rubbed her hand.
it was too early for her to know if it was true or just the soulmate bond playing with her mind, but hyerim could really see herself with the blue-haired hockey player for a long time. the thought left her chest fluttering.
"you like this song?" jeno asked suddenly, causing the brunette to whip his way. his words weren't full of disgust or anything, just wonder. hyerim's lips formed a sly smile; he must have heard her humming.
"yeah, it's just been a really long time since i heard it. old katy perry was gold."
the boy smirked, a chuckle getting caught in his throat. "i never really listened to her..."
"well, who do you listen to, then?" jeno grinned before humming, eyes still trained on the road despite wanting to give her his full attention. "probably justin bieber and bruno mars for western artists. i like sm groups a lot,"
hyerim raised a fist and closed her eyes, "all hail shinee." and jeno repeated the words despite his laughter cutting through every word.
as the brunette lowered her arm, she managed to bump herself on the side of the door, inhaling sharply and cutting her giggles short. "gosh darn door." she scolded, momentarily pulling her hand from jeno's to rub her elbow and lessen the ache.
"woah, that's cool." the boy commented, grabbing the girl's attention. "i barely felt that. does it hurt?"
"ow."
chuckling softly, jeno raised his now free hand to pat hyerim's head. "would fries and smoothies make you feel better?" the brunette beamed. "in fact, i think it would."
when jeno suddenly put the car in park, hyerim looked around with furrowed brows. "why are we at the drug store?"
the boy unbuckled himself, leaving the key and car running. "i have to grab something real quick. wait here and lock the doors." he sent her a short wink before leaving and the brunette burst into a brief fit of laughter. he sounded like how she imagined a dad too, but the girl did as told and locked the doors.
about a song and a half later, hyerim straightened happily when her eyes fell on a head of bright blue hair leaving the store, a single bag clutched in his hand. she unlocked the doors and smiled when jeno settled next to her once again.
"what'd you get?" the slight child-like enthusiasm in her voice made the boy raise a playful brow. "a secret."
shoulder's slumping, hyerim leaned back against the seat and pouted, "jen, i wanna know~" the said boy chuckled, giving in and lifting the residents of the bag up for her to see.
the brunette bit back a laugh when she saw the first item, cheeks flushing with a gentle pink hue. "you're kidding me."
"you never know when it may come in handy! this thing could save a life."
"jeno, it's november. there are no bees in november!" the said boy waved the epipen in front of hyerim for a second before dropping it on his hockey bag in the back seat. "you never know."
"what's the other thing?" she was growing a bit impatient, but her giant smile ceased to fade. utterly starstruck by her pretty doe eyes, the way the descending sun painted her skin a stunning gold, and her showstopping smile, jeno gave in.
he silently pulled the item from the cheap plastic bag, allowing it to dangle off his pointer and middle finger. the brunette's breath caught in her throat. it wasn't expensive or flashy, but to her, it was beautiful.
a small giggle left hyerim's lips as she raised a delicate finger to touched it, afraid that she may accidentally ruin it. "it's so cute!" jeno beamed, quickly handing it over to his gorgeous soulmate. "sorry it's lame. i just saw it at the register and felt like you'd like it."
"i love it!" hyerim continued admiring the little metal keychain, running her thumb along the shiny black and yellow bumblebee hanging on the end.
without an ounce of doubt, the girl picked her bag up off the ground and attached the keychain, admiring it as it hung off her backpack. "i'm gonna name it... bee wilbee jeno junior! or just wilbee for short"
though he didn't have a middle name, and if he did it wouldn't be wilbee, jeno didn't argue. "it's great. you like it?" hyerim let her head fall in his direction, an adorably soft smile covering her face. "i do. now fries!"
── 🩹 ──
"so you found your soulmate?"
jeno's head snapped up, tense shoulders loosening when he only saw sicheng standing before him with a lopsided grin.
the boy nodded, lips involuntarily curving upwards at the thought of shin hyerim. "technically she found me, but yeah."
the coach quickly approached him and laid a supportive pat on the younger's shoulder. "congrats! this means no more excessive injuries, right?"
jeno scoffed out a laugh and rubbed the back of his neck, "i think so? i didn't pay that much attention in my soulmate class, but when we're together we don't feel each other's pain. it's kinda cool." he muttered the last few words, going back to tying his skates as sicheng watched.
"good. i have a good feeling this season, you know." jeno nodded. "so make sure you treat each other right. and don't be afraid to ask me if you have any questions about this soulmate stuff, okay? i married mine."
the blue-haired boy nodded again, grinning when he remembered how flustered haechan got when the coach's husband sent him threatening glares after he attempted to call sicheng cute. "thanks, coach. i'll work hard to make this season our best."
the elder smiled fondly, admiring his student's dedication. "i know you will. now finish tying your skates and get on the ice!"
someone pls take me on car rides where we sing terribly and eat crappy food <3