A/N: Here's a fluffy winter high school AU in honor of the frosty winter days ahead! Stay warm and safe everyone <3
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Johnny twisted around in his seat, craning his neck to check the vacant desk at the back of the class. Just like usual, you were absent on the day of the big end-of-semester dance. The event happened in the evening, but the day was usually filled with students trying to snag last minute dates and teachers putting on movies to keep everyone entertained. Leave it to your history professor to put on a documentary about the history of fonts.
"Looks like Ice Queen is skipping again this year, huh?" Yuta clamped a hand on his best friend's shoulder.
Johnny sighed. Yet another semester flew by, and he still couldn't ask his crush to the dance. But even if you didn't want to attend the event, wasn't skipping a full day of classes a bit too much? If only he could figure out why you were so against going–
The bell sounded, and students rushed out of class to hurry home and get ready. Yuta gave him another reassuring pat on the shoulder before catching the bus to his neighborhood. With no plans for the evening, a dejected Johnny began his solo walk home. Winter slush soaked into his sneakers, his now-soggy socks squishing with every step forward. Could today get any worse? Johnny was about to kick some of the icy mixture off the sidewalk when he saw you.
"Y/N?" he tilted his head in confusion.
You looked up, startled. But before you could run, Johnny stood in front of your path, blocking you.
"Please move," you groaned. "I don't have time for this."
Johnny laughed dryly. "Obviously you have plenty of time if you're not going to the winter dance."
The shift in your eyes told him he'd struck a sore nerve. You disregarded the small flicker in your personality and pushed past him, but Johnny grabbed your wrist. Squirming in his grasp, you tried to break free, but he was strong.
"Let go while I'm being nice," you nearly hissed. You flashed your signature stare that froze people in place and sent chills down their spine–the cold gaze that had earned you your nickname. The Ice Queen.
Johnny shook his head, hoping to see that glint in your eyes again. Something about your actions and that split-second falter didn't add up. Finally, he released his hold in fear of hurting you.
"You want to go, don't you?" he asked, staring hard at the winter slush. "You want to go more than anyone else."
As if you were under your own spell, you froze. He turned his gaze on you, and the look in your eyes returned, but this time, he could read it. Loneliness.
"Want to grab hot chocolate?" you broke the awkward silence.
Johnny suddenly remembered that he was talking to his crush, and the adrenaline crashed on him hard. "Sure!" he replied a little too enthusiastically and followed you down the street to a cozy cafe.
Soft jazz played overhead, and the place was decked out with tinsel and candy canes. Johnny almost hit his head on one before you beckoned him to the counter. He blinked in surprise at the faint smile that tugged at your lips as you eyed the menu. At school, you glared at people who got in your way and avoided conversation. The Ice Queen never smiled.
"Two peppermint hot chocolates, please."
Before Johnny could fish out his credit card, you had already swiped yours.
"But–" he protested.
You handed him his drink and led him to a small table by the window. He watched you carefully, not sure what you were about to do or say. If he made a wrong move, you could very well judo-flip him across the table. At least at school, the Ice Queen was unpredictable.
"You caught me," you started. "I hate the dance because I can never go."
Johnny watched the way you were intently staring at your hot chocolate. Either you were about to let him in on your secrets, or you were having an intense staring competition with your drink. He was hoping it was the former.
"Why can't you?" he asked softly.
You looked up at him with a sad smile on your face. "Because I don't have anyone to go with. All my friends always go with their significant others. And everyone's afraid of me anyway. They call me the Ice Queen, but I can't stand that nickname. They bully me and then expect me to be all sunshine and rainbows. Like, come on!"
"The kids bully you?" Johnny sat up in shock. "When did this start happening?"
You waved a hand dismissively. "Way back in middle school. I guess I started standing up for myself and ignoring them, but now I'm sort of an outcast. Even the teacher put me in the back of the class. If I go to the dance, people are going to make fun of me again. They'll–"
You jolted in your seat when you felt a warm hand wrap around yours. Johnny's large hands swallowed yours up, and he gave them a small squeeze.
"Dress up tonight. I'll pick you up at 7. Just text me your address," he smiled warmly.
Your cheeks flushed red, and you weren't entirely sure if it was because of the hot chocolate or Johnny's warm gesture. He sipped his drink and started telling you stories of how people thought he was intimidating for a good chunk of school. Slowly, you began to open up, and he smiled at the progress he was making.
Eventually, the two of you stood up to leave. Smiling at the text with your address, Johnny headed home. He spent the next hour in front of a mirror getting ready. Slicking back his hair with some gel, Johnny marveled at his look. Usually while his friends were busy enjoying the end-of-semester dances, he was chilling at home in a sweatsuit playing video games. This year, he was tucked in a real suit looking more dashing than a one-horse open sleigh (omg please someone get my pun).
Exactly at 7, he was in front of your house in his car, checking his reflection in the rearview mirror for the thousandth time.
Knock knock!
Johnny peeled his eyes away from the mirror and tried to collect his jaw when he saw you drumming your knuckles on the window of his car. You settled down next to him in the passenger seat, your second blush of the day dusting your cheeks. His eyes traveled from your hair that was pinned back in a complicated braided bun to your embroidered red dress that stretched from your neck to your ankles. A stray strand of hair came loose from your bun, and Johnny swiftly tucked it behind your ear.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Ready."
But when you stepped out of the car, you weren't in your school's parking lot. You were at the park nearby.
Answering your question, Johnny pressed a button on his phone, and it began to play music. He took your hand and led you around the monkey bars and past the swing sets to an open patch of asphalt.
Asking permission first, Johnny placed a hand around your waist. Naturally, your hand found its way to his shoulder, and the two of you began to dance to the slow music from his phone. The moonlight illuminated your glittery makeup, and your eyes shimmered whenever you made eye contact.
"Can we do a twirl?" you asked, shyly.
Without a word, Johnny delicately spun you around and dipped you backwards. A huge grin broke out on your face, and his heart pounded seeing you so happy. He turned up the volume on his phone and picked up his pace. The two of you were waltzing around the playground, absorbed in each other's presence that you didn't notice the audience that had assembled to watch.
"Is that Ice Queen?"
"Ice Queen is smiling?!"
"And she's with Johnny!"
The students from your school gathered around and began clapping wildly, some of them cheering for you. The sound was so loud, it jarred you two from your daze just in time to see Yuta and his dance partner charging at you. Hiding your face in Johnny's suit jacket, you felt your knees almost give out from the embarrassment. You hoped the crowd would quickly dissipate now that your show had ended, but the cheering only seemed to grow louder.
"Y/N, Johnny–you two are couple goals!" Yuta squealed, shaking Mark excitedly like a tambourine (best bromance of 2020).
Mark steadied himself before nodding in agreement.
"Whoa, I think you have it all wrong," you stammered. "We're not a couple."
"Yet," Johnny winked, prompting you to bury your face in his chest again.
Apparently, it was tradition for the school to get ice cream in the middle of the dance. And there was a shortcut through the park, which is how all three hundred students stumbled upon your romantic moment.
But what Johnny was happy to see was all of them rooting for you and smiling with you, rather than at you. As long as he was by your side, he'd never let anyone make you freeze up again.
"What do you say? Want to get ice cream with the others?" Johnny whispered in your ear.
Your third blush of the day crept its way on your face, but this time, you were almost as red as your dress. The resilient strand of hair had come loose again, and Johnny used his thumb to push it behind your ear and lift up your chin.
"S–stop," you bit your lip nervously. "You're melting me."
Johnny laughed. "Either that was a good way to celebrate the end of the Ice Queen's reign, or you're really into ice cream puns."
You raised an eyebrow. "If you were an ice cream flavor, you'd be pistachio almond."
"Why?" he tilted his head in confusion.
You smirked in satisfaction. "Because you're nuts."
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A/N: Just a few more days, and it'll be officially winter! I hope you all have been staying warm and healthy. Good luck on exams and papers if you're still taking them or waiting for results <3
Questions of the imagine:
1. If you were an ice cream flavor, what would you be? I honestly don't know... I feel like I would be either coffee ice cream or mango ice cream!
2. What's your favorite thing about winter? For me, it's all about the layering and cozy blankets. Everything beyond the window is so cold, so I love hot chocolate/tea with a solid book under a THICC blanket :)