the sudden ringing of the bell startles her out of her wits. in the pitch darkness of the living room, with only a flicker of light coming from the streetlight directly across her front yard, she slowly, carefully treads her way to the front door. she takes a deep breath, preparing to meet whoever the hell showed up at her door at almost 3 in the morning without a warning.
"i had a nightmare, can i crash at yours tonight?" han jisung beamed.
"why do you look so scared, its just me." he adds as he lets himself into the house. "its 3 in the morning, i thought the grim reaper was here for my soul already" she mumbled, feeling around for the light switch.
jisung snorts as he settles into the velvet L-shaped couch. he smiles to himself as he notices y/n's duvet ahead of him.
"why were you sleeping on the couch?"
"i... i don't really like sleeping alone upstairs," she says, flushing slightly at his random question. "i know it sounds strange because i was literally doing the same thing downstairs, sleeping alone, but... yeah. i hate the emptiness. i'm not sure, but it just seems more cozy to me to be curled up on the couch." she rambles.
"i can fix that." jisung grins shamelessly. "c'mon, let's go upstairs."
this makes y/n groan, "ugh, i can't stand you!"
"then sit!"
despite standing under dim lights, her radiance is undeniable. jisung can't help but stare at her in awe; he doesn't know if its the sleep deprivation, his astronomically massive, humongous crush on her, or simply her. sure; she's a bit of a beautiful mess right now, with a few strands of her hair escaping her messy bun, her black nightshirt's collar turned inside out, and her missing third earring (a piece she rarely removes), but she's still mesmerizing. he loves making her laugh, because it's only in those little moments that he has her distracted and laughing her heart out. it's when he can really just stop and admire her without her noticing.
even now, as she buries her face in her palms, laughing at his stupid joke, he can't help but wonder how he got so lucky to have met her at all.
"wow, i'm not sleepy anymore," she smiles at jisung as she takes a seat at the edge of the couch, "you must be sleepy though. i give you the freedom to crash in whichever room you want. except the couch, i actually can't fall asleep unless i'm on it." y/n laughs as she keeps a hand to her chest.
"i lied." now jisung buries his face into his hands. "i didn't have a nightmare. i wasn't even asleep to have one," he lets out a chuckle and adds. "i'm sorry... i guess i really just wanted to see you."
he hesitates to meet her eyes, clearly regretting his words thinking they seemed really inappropriate and foolish. and the last thing he wants right now is for her to feel weirded out and kick him out.
to his amazement, when he finally musters the courage to glance up, she's already on her feet, offering a warm and reassuring smile. "are you sleepy?" that's all she asks.
"no... i, i'm sorry y/n-"
"just wait a minute then!" with that being said, she races up the steps to her bedroom, most probably.
jisung waits nervously for her to return, and 5 minutes later she does. except she's fixed her hair, changed out of her pajamas into a hoodie and jeans and has a tote bag slung over her shoulder. "c'mon," she strolls towards the door and gestures outside, "let's chill."
"right now?"
"if not now, then when?" y/n shrugs.
-
15 minutes and an ice cream cone later, jisung finds himself laying down next to y/n, on the rooftop of the eerie, old, abandoned building. even though the stars above them were the second most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, he couldn't help but feel creeped out because of the creaks and screeches he could hear from below them.
beside him. he hears y/n snicker. "what? what's wrong?" he asks, to which y/n just laughs more at, "don't worry, i'll protect you... from whatever you're scared of right now." jisung feels a flush of warmth to his face, and tries to defend himself, "hey! i'm not scared-"
"yeah right, totally~" she smiles, continuing to tease him, and despite the bone-chilling wind, it warms jisung to his core. "don't play with me like that..." he chuckles as he turns away from y/n so she can't see how hard he's blushing.
once he turns away, he feels her fingers delicately playing with his hair. "if you keep that up, i might as well just fall asleep right here," he remarks. y/n lets out a soft laugh and jisung's heart does a little flip in his chest. he's surprised at himself; seeing how he's doing a pretty job at keeping himself in control. he realizes in that moment that he truly does love y/n, not as his best friend, but as someone so much more than that. she's the only one who truly accepts him the way he is and for someone like jisung, that was the most heart-warming thing ever.
he turns and their eyes meet, a warm feeling passes between them, going way beyond friendship. they both sense the deeper connection, and a gentle tension fills the air.
he breaks the silence by saying, "you know, i could get lost in the stars, but i'd rather get lost in your eyes." y/n blushes, feeling a mixture of excitement and comfort. "smooth talker," she teases, nudging him gently.
they lay next to each other in silence, savoring each other's presence. they didn't have to worry about it getting awkward with the silence, it was soothing. y/n's hand brushes slightly against jisung's and she could swear she felt him jolt at that. she turns to look at him and he's blushing furiously, from his cheeks to his neck. a few moments later, when it got unbearable for him, he whispers, "we could be more, you know..."
y/n's breath hitches, but she smiles and decides to play it cool for now, "hmm? what do you want us to be apart from friends?"
"you know exactly what i want." jisung replies, shifting to fully face y/n. the proximity between them narrowed to mere centimeters, and y/n prays that he can't hear how incredibly loud her heart is beating. his words knock out the remaining oxygen in her system.
"i want to hear it. i need you to say it." she says shakily, turning to face him as well.
in that moment, jisung finds the courage to speak his truth. "i love you, y/n," he confesses, his voice trembling with emotion. "i've loved you for as long as i can remember, and i can't imagine my life without you..."
y/n feels a jolt in her chest, her heart racing even more than it was earlier as he confesses his feelings. she had never considered that their friendship could evolve into something more, despite hoping for it.
disbelief washes over her like a wave. this couldn't be happening. it was too much, too sudden, too... perfect.
"i... i can't believe this," she stammers, her voice trembling with emotion. "are you serious?"
it was now jisung's turn to mirror y/n's expression, he sits up and lets out a chuckle in disbelief, "i- i'm going to need you to pause for a second because i just find it so offensive that you think i'm not head over heels in love with your stupid, clueless ass. are you a brick? because you're dense as fuck."
jisung watches her reaction, his heart pounding in his chest as he waits for her response. despite the nerves dancing in his stomach, there's a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
finally, breaking the tension, y/n's lips curve into a smile and she bursts out laughing, a tear of joy glistening in her eye. "i still can't believe it," she murmurs, "but i don't think i've ever felt more certain about something."
a wave of relief washes over jisung as he watches her, his own smile mirroring hers. "i'm serious," he reassures her, reaching out to gently take her hand and placing a soft kiss on it. "i love you with all my heart."
it's in that moment, under the glittering stars and the soft breeze of the night, that the both of them realize that their love story is just starting. they hold each other close, they both know that this is the beginning of something beautiful, something that they'll cherish forever.
-
im so sorry this wasn't supposed to take a whole month 😭