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rikstellar · 17 hours ago

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WALLFLOWER — (nrk x reader)

summary : in which you seem to be invisible to everyone, but not to him.

featuring : jungwon and sunoo from enhypen

cw : popular!riki x outcast!fem reader, angst, fluff, kissing

wc : 3.5k

nene’s note : this fic is inspired by twice’s wallflower !! pls reblog and tell me what you think of it !

“y/n? oh, you mean mina’s friend!”

“who’s y/n? the one who hangs out with nayoung and her friends?”

“i’m gonna ask the girl from jules’ class for help”

that’s all you ever were to people. someone’s friend, the one you can ask for help when you can’t figure your homework out. you lived in your friends’ shadows all the time, getting outshined every single day of your life. it was like you were invisible to everyone, as if you were a ghost desperately looking for someone who could see you. but that was never the case.

it’s not like your ‘friends’ paid that much attention to you either, they kept you around because you were kind enough to help them study whenever a big exam was coming. you weren’t oblivious to this treatment, in fact, you knew you didn’t deserve it. but the fear of being completely alone couldn’t let you walk away from them. but that loneliness, that emptiness within you never faded away, not even when you were surrounded by people. you spent most of your time with your nose stuck in a book, studying and studying for hours just to get distracted from those feelings inside you.

you wished someone could see you, get to know you, care about you. but you were sure that if you ever disappeared, no one would notice.

someone would notice, though.

that someone was nishimura riki. golden boy of the school, he was so skilled in every sport that multiple teams fought to have him in their group. he was friendly with everyone, boxy smile always showing whenever he met someone he talked with, even just one time, in the hallways. people absolutely adored him, always seeking his attention. he was everything you dreamed to be.

you didn’t know why, but he always greeted you with a smile whenever you crossed paths with him. you two didn’t even talk once, but he never lost the opportunity to flash you a grin whenever his eyes met yours. he was like that with everyone, you thought, probably because he pitied you. you thought it was a facade, he was popular, after all. he had a reputation to maintain. you disliked him for that reason, maybe it was just envy, but you just couldn’t stand seeing him surrounded by people all the time, while you lived in everyone’s shadow.

the bell rang, indicating the end of biology class. you were following mina and jules out of the classroom, when the teacher called out your name, gesturing you to stay. you turned to tell your two friends that you would stay behind and that you would see them later, but they were laughing between them, not even noticing you weren’t behind them anymore. you pressed your lips in a thin line, unfazed by the behavior since it happened so many times before. yet, it hurt every. single. time.

you pushed those thoughts aside, walking to the teacher who was waiting for you with a big smile. you liked her, she was always kind, always making time for her students whenever they were struggling. and that was exactly the reason why she called you.

“hi, y/n. sorry for keeping you behind, but i’d like to ask you a favor. there’s this student who’s failing biology and i was wondering if you could, perhaps, help them? if they fail it, they won’t be able to participate in next month’s tournament. do you think you could do it?” she explained, her voice soft and sweet as always.

you listen to her words carefully, smiling at her while you accepted her request. you weren’t so thrilled about it, since you knew it wasn’t going to be different from all the times you had ‘helped’ other students. they showed up, pretended to be interested just to make up an excuse and make you do all of their homework for them. but the teacher also promised you an extra credit, so you decided to comply anyway.

she told you to be at the school’s library on tuesdays and thursdays, from 4 to 6, and that she would notify the student for you.

so there you were, sitting at a library table, waiting for this mystery student to show up. it was already half past four, so you assumed that they wouldn’t even show up. you started gathering your things to leave, when you heard someone run behind you. you turned around to see who it was, just to find yourself face to face with nishimura riki. people glared at him while telling him to be silent, causing him to smile apologetically and bowing to them.

“i’m so sorry! practice ran late so i rushed here as fast i could, i’m glad you’re still here! you’re y/n, right? you should be the one helping me with biology” he explained, keeping his voice low to avoid getting scolded again by the students nearby.

on the other hand, you couldn’t believe your eyes. the boy you despised the most was in front of you, big smile as he looked down at you. the fact that he looked so pretty pissed you off even more.

“uh, don’t worry about it.” you simply said, uncomfortably shifting on your seat while he took the one right next to you. you took the book from your backpack and carefully placed it on the table, opening it on the page of the first chapter. you looked over at him for an instant, finding him with his own book open at the same page, waiting for you to say something.

“listen, i know you probably wanna be somewhere else, so i’ll spare you the trouble and bring you the homework done by tomor—” you were cut off by him, a confused expression displayed on his face. “what do you mean? i’m not gonna make you do my homework.” his eyebrows were furrowed, as if you were speaking nonsense. “i’d like some help to understand some of the topics, actually.” he said, his tone was soft, yet it seemed like he was bothered by what you said. did someone treat you like that before?

“oh.” that’s all you could say. you were feeling guilty for assuming his intentions, you were just so used to it.

there was an awkward silence for a brief moment, before riki took the matter into his own hands and started asking you questions about some concepts he hadn’t grasped before. you replied to them calmly, taking your time to repeat yourself or reformulate your sentences if he couldn’t understand them. during the whole time, he never once lost his focus, always looking at you attentively and, from time to time, praising your explanation skills, blabbering about how the book made everything look harder than it actually was.

having his eyes constantly on you made you feel a little overwhelmed, not being used to having so much attention on you. you felt… seen. it was awkward at first, but you couldn’t help but like it.

you reminded yourself that he was just being nice because you were helping him, not because he was actually interested in you.

the little tutoring session came to an end, faster than you thought, so you found yourself gathering your belongings to leave. riki did the same thing, casually greeting some of his friends while he walked with you towards the exit.

it was already dark outside, the days becoming shorter and shorter as the colder seasons approached. before you could excuse yourself to catch the bus, riki spoke. “um, you usually take the 6:30pm bus, right?” he asked, scratching his nape while he looked for your eyes, a sheepish smile tugging at his lips. you wondered how he knew which bus you took, but decided to not mull over it too much. you nodded, tilting your head to the side as if you were asking where he was trying to get at with his question. “it’s still early, i can’t leave you here, alone in the dark. do you mind if i wait with you?” saying that you were surprised by those words was an understatement. you could feel warmth creeping up your neck, you never really spent time with boys outside of tutoring, let alone spoke to them for this long. “uh.. sure” you replied, your voice low and timid. you think you will never forget the smile riki gave you that night.

you walked around with him, listening to him complain about how his coach threatened him to not let him play at the tournament if he didn’t pass biology, and how glad he was you were there to help him. he also asked you lots of question, such as your favorite subjects, what you did in your free time, whether you put cereals first and then milk or vice versa. and it wasn’t just to avoid awkward silence, he truly cared about your answers, even going on a long rant about how putting cereals after milk was nonsense and how inconvenient it was.

before you could realize, it was already time for you to catch the bus. he walked you to the stop and waited for you to get safely on the bus, waving his hand while grinning widely at you. he didn’t leave until he saw the bus driving away, which made you feel like he cared about your safety, but you convinced yourself you were overthinking it.

once in your bed, you stared at the ceiling, replaying the afternoon you spent with the boy you disliked so much — in vain, you thought — and how your heart started beating slightly faster when you got a message from him asking if you got home safely. you mentally slapped yourself, you couldn’t start to have feelings for a boy who was pitying you. still, you couldn’t help but smile at the thought of his stupid jokes and silly behavior, the memory of his laugh lulling you to sleep.

the next day, you were sitting alone at the cafeteria since your friends collectively decided to skip school without letting you know. you were used to it anyway, it’s not like you talked to them when you were in their company, you just limited yourself to listening to them brag about whoever they were dating at that moment or about some new gossip that was circulating around, while keeping to yourself.

that’s why you were startled when riki showed up with two of his friends, who you recognised to be sunoo and jungwon. they were also pretty popular, sunoo being a social butterfly and jungwon being part of the student council.

“mind if we sit here?” riki asked with his usual smile, waiting for you to agree before eventually sitting next to you, while the other two guys sat in front of you. you were still kind of taken aback from this situation, but you were snapped out of your thoughts by riki resting his hand on your shoulder.

“this is y/n! y/n, they’re sunoo and jungwon. they’re good guys, so feel free to be yourself around them” he explained, introducing you to his friends. you wanted to focus on the two boys sitting in front of you and politely greet them, but you could only feel riki’s hand on you, making your heart pound against your ribs.

“nice to meet you! — sunoo spoke, his voice lively and sweet — so you’re the famous y/n, huh? riki talks about you a lo—” he suddenly stopped, an ‘ouch’ escaping his lips as he massaged his leg. riki immediately grabbed your attention: “what he was saying is that i told them you were tutoring me and how well you explain things!” you missed the way he shot sunoo a glare before grinning at you.

jungwon, in the meantime, was snickering while eating his lunch, throwing a playful glance at riki with a smirk on his lips.

you weren’t exactly understanding what was happening, given that you were still confused by the sudden company and the fact that riki talked about you to his friends. it was probably because you could help them in the future, wasn’t it?

you had a great time during lunch, sunoo excitedly telling you about the new drama play he would star in next month and jungwon occasionally asking you questions about you. the awkwardness in you faded the more you spent time with the boys, breaking out of your shell and telling them stories of your childhood. riki was looking at you with a fond smile the entire time, head resting on his fist, thinking how nice was watching you finally open up and get along with his friends.

time flew once again, the bell that signaled the end of lunch break ringing in the cafeteria. you had learned to have a lesson in the classroom right next to sunoo’s, so you waved bye to riki and jungwon and made your way to class with the bubbly boy.

you had never felt this good before, it felt like a weight was lifted off your chest, loneliness being replaced by a nice feeling. this is what having someone caring about you meant? you wondered how you endured being alone until then, finally knowing what it felt to be seen.

you spent the whole time, thinking about the boy you were tutoring, catching yourself dumbly smiling at the thought of him. you needed a reality check, because in no way he was going to feel the same about you. so, with a sigh, you drifted your thoughts from riki to the teacher and his lesson.

weeks passed, your study dates with riki allowed you to become closer and closer to the boy. you started opening up more, laughing and making jokes with him, telling him about embarrassing moments from middle school and so on. you started seeing him outside of tutoring sessions as well, inviting you to have lunch with him, sunoo and jungwon more often, asking you to try a new cafe that opened in town with them.

you eventually fell for him, feeling nervous every time he stood too close to you or blushing when you caught him staring at you. you knew it was one sided, trying your hardest to not delude yourself and end up with a broken heart and alone all over again. you cherished his company more than anything in the world, so you couldn’t bear the thought of losing him.

you were walking to your locker when you heard your name being shouted by a voice you recognized in no time. you turned around, finding riki standing in front of you with a paper in his hand, encouraging you to take it. you looked at it and saw a 75/100 on his biology test. your eyes widened as much as your smile, looking up at him. “oh my god, riki! you passed!” you said, genuinely happy for the boy in front of you. he worked hard and definitely deserved the grade, you also felt a little proud of yourself at the same time. “yes! it’s all thanks to you!” he engulfed you in his arms, holding you close to his body for a second longer than he should. your face was completely red once he let go of you, you prayed for him to be too excited to notice how that brief — even though for you seemed like it lasted for hours — contact affected you.

“so..” you started speaking, to recompose yourself. “no more tutoring sessions, huh?” you asked, disappointment could be easily found in your tone.

“hm.. about that.” riki said, looking a little nervous for some reasons you couldn’t quite tell. “are you going to prom, this weekend?” he asked, a hopeful glint in his eyes while he looked down at you.

“no, i don’t think so.” you replied almost instantly. was he going to ask you out for prom? no, impossible.

“would you like t—” he couldn’t finish his sentence, that a girl tapped him on his shoulder, completely ignoring your presence or the fact that he was talking to you.

“hi riki.. i was wondering if you.. if you wanted to go to prom with me.” she asked, her pretty, long lashes batting quickly as she smiled at him, waiting for his answer.

“oh, thank you but i was going to ask someone else to go with me,” riki politely declined, obtaining a scoff in response. he shrugged his shoulders and turned back to where you were standing, only to see that you had disappeared.

you left the moment you heard the girl’s question, tears brimming in your eyes as you felt like a fool, thinking that he could ever have feelings for you. that day, you left school early, running to your house and shutting yourself in your room. you cried every tear you had within yourself.

riki had tried to reach out to you countless times, sending you lots of texts, even calling you endless times. but you ignored every one of them. you shouldn’t have gotten closer to the boy, you shouldn’t have fallen for him and you shouldn’t have hoped that he could, somehow, feel the same towards you.

it was prom night, you were on your couch, watching some old romcom filled with cliches and cringy lines, but that made you tear up everytime nonetheless.

suddenly, you heard a knock on your door. you wondered who could possibly be at that hour of a saturday night.

you opened the door, finding riki in formal attire, hair slicked back and a huge bouquet of purple flowers — which you remembered telling him was your favorite color.

“riki?” you called softly, closing the door behind you and looking at him with a confused expression. your heart skipped a beat when you saw him — he looked absolutely gorgeous, he looked like he’d stepped out a fairy tail.

“y/n..” he spoke, his voice carrying a mix of nerves and determination. “i tried contacting you, but you weren’t replying. i wanted to ask you to prom, but since it’s too late, i thought about bringing prom to you.” a shy smile tugged at his full lips as he pronounced those words.

you stared at him, speechless. he wanted to go to prom with you? and when he couldn’t reach you, he came all the way to your house, just to make it happen? it felt like a dream, too good and too sweet to be true.

noticing your surprise, riki carefully set the bouquet on the ground. then, he took your hand in his, warmth spreading all over your face.

“dance with me,” he whispered, his voice soft and filled with hope.

without waiting for your reply, he led you closer to him, his free hand settling on your waist, while with his other hand, he fumbled awkwardly with his phone, tongue poking out as he tried to play a slow song for you two to dance to.

the sight made you giggle, finding endearing how clumsy he was.

you looped your arms around his neck, gazing up at him as you swayed together. the world seemed to fall away — there was only the two of you, the soft music, and the steady rhythm of your movements.

he held your gaze the entire time, his lovesick smile resting on his pretty lips — the ones you couldn’t help but glance at more times than you cared to admit.

as the song came to an end, the world seemed to slow down around the two of you. he rested his forehead gently against yours, his warm breath fanning across your face as he took both of your hands in his, holding them like they were going to break if he applied to much force.

“y/n..” he began, his voice soft and steady, though you could sense the nervousness beneath it. “i like you. i’ve liked you for so long, i couldn’t resist keeping it to myself anymore.” he whispered, waiting for any reaction on your part.

tears welled up in your eyes and before you could stop yourself, you threw your arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace. riki stiffened for a moment, his hand lingering on your back before holding you closer.

“i like you too, riki. so much, i can’t believe you actually feel the same” a soft laugh escaped his lips, filled with relief and happiness. he brought one of his hands to your cheek, delicately caressing your skin. “can i be your boyfriend, then?” he asked, his lips curling up into a shy smile as he bit down his lower lip to keep it from spreading too much.

you didn’t answer his question with words. instead, you leaned in, catching his lips in a passionate yet slow kiss. his hand on your cheek moved down to your neck, while his other hand rested on your waist.

at that moment, it felt as if you were touching the sky with a finger. you felt loved in a way that warmed every layer of your heart, cared for in a way that melted every lingering doubt. but, most importantly, you felt seen — truly seen — for the first time.

#nishimura riki #ni ki #ni ki x reader #riki x reader #enhypen #enhypen fic #enha fics #enhypen ff #enha ff #riki fluff #riki fanfic #ni ki fluff #ni ki fanfic #enhypen fluff #enhypen x reader #enha fluff #enha x reader

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rikstellar · 23 hours ago

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my blog looks like shit on clear mode…

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rikstellar · 24 hours ago

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NENE’S MASTERLIST !

the universe is on your side — (nkr x reader) : fluff, humor. 6.1k words. (29.12.24)

wallflower — (nrk x reader) : angst, fluff. 3.5k words. (03.01.25)

more to come…!

#enhypen fic #enhypen fluff #masterlist #ni ki x reader #jungwon x reader #sunoo x reader #sunghoon x reader #jake x reader #jay x reader #heeseung x reader #enhypen #riki x reader #sim jaehyun x reader #park jongseong x reader

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rikstellar · 1 day ago

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me rn :

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rikstellar · 2 days ago

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Under the Autumn Leaves ⌇ 가을

pairing ᝰ nishimura riki x fem!reader ⌇ word count: 1.3k+

𓂃 after an embarrassing moment in class leading Riki to the infirmary, you guys finally have your first heart warming encounter.

⌇… warnings & genre ↺ fluff, school au, cussing, reader is a pushover and oblivious.

lee's ₊˚⊹ ᰔ comment ┊ my first fic! I had sm fun writing this :) Hope you like it fr!

“You got everything done, right?” she asked, her tone sharp as she stood over you, arms crossed and a piercing glare fixed on your slouched figure.

You looked up from where you were seated on the bench, blinking. Looking away from her, you checked your surroundings, making sure no one was around. “I’m almost done, okay? Just have a few things to finish up.”

It was an everyday occurrence. Someone handed you work, and with zero compensation, you ended up doing it, wanting to live a peaceful school life.

“Hm. Okay then, turn it in as soon as you finish,” she murmured, walking away and eyeing her phone. The crinkle of the autumn leaves followed under her feet.

Sighing, you went back to work. Better to finish now than later, right? You were unaware of the schools notorious delinquent paying close attention to the whole situation. He was always around you, but somehow, you always failed to notice.

Riki scoffed. “For a smart kid, she sure is dumb sometimes.”

If someone were to ask you about Riki, you wouldn’t be able to say much. He was barely at school, but when he was, he was very intimidating yet popular. The only times you would interact were when you got seated next to him constantly to be a ‘good influence,’ but even then, he wouldn’t spare a word.

The bell to return to class rang through the courtyard. You packed up your things quickly and headed to class.

Riki walked into class late as always. As he searched around the classroom, he saw his seat that resided next to yours, but instead of seeing you focused and working as always, you were asleep.

His chest puffed up and down in frustration. Why was he getting so worked up over this random girl?

After an earful from the teacher, Riki sat down in his seat next to yours. He ignored you, surprised at how you hadn’t been caught sleeping yet.

Riki occasionally spared you glances until he examined the shine the sun gave your hair and how peaceful you looked when you weren’t swamped with work for once. Your lips glowed, and your eyebrows were furrowed. You just looked so goddamn beautiful. He gazed at you with conflicted feelings and saw a leaf that got caught in your hair. It was probably from you always sitting under that tree. Your usual spot.

Riki unknowingly reached for it, but that’s when you opened your eyes, squinting, revealing the scene in front of you. “Riki?”

He blinked and looked at his arm near your face. His breath got caught in his throat, which caused him to start coughing furiously.

Hand placed over his mouth, he started looking everywhere but you to cover up his embarrassment.

“Mr. Nishimura, is something wrong?” asked the teacher with concern.

“Yes. Can I go to the infirmary?”

“Go ahead, quickly.”

Riki quickly stood up, leaving without giving you another word.

You sat up with confusion. “What’s up with him?”

Class ended, but for some reason, Riki hadn’t come back since he left. You paid it no attention, though. Riki didn’t like it when people interfered with his business.

You were one foot out of the classroom until your name caught your attention. “L/N, could you please take Nishimura’s stuff to the infirmary?”

“Of course… I can,” you gave a fake smile.

Dragging your arms dramatically back to his desk, you started organizing the stuff into his bag. He took notes today… That’s odd.

You excused yourself and started walking to the infirmary. Seriously, what was the holdup? Is he sick—maybe he passed out? Paranoid thoughts flocked your mind until you came face to face with the door.

Sighing, you placed your hand on the doorknob until you looked through the window. Riki was sitting on the window sill, admiring the view it gave. You never took the time to look at Riki, but he sure is… handsome.

You knocked three times before entering with a shy smile. The look he gave you was as blank as ever. “Hey, Riki. I brought your bag. Is everything alright?”

His gaze followed your figure as you placed his bag on the bed next to him. “Did you take the notes?”

You blinked at him. “No worries, they’re in your bag—”

“Take them,” he whispered in a low, croaky voice, quickly looking away.

Confused, you checked his bag again and pulled out the notes. You skimmed them before realizing these notes were unfamiliar.

“You were asleep when she went over today’s instructions,” Riki looked down at his fingers and started fidgeting with them.

Scanning the notes again, you smiled. “You wrote these for me?”

“No! I mean—yes? I just didn’t want you to bother me about it later, okay?” he clarified quickly.

You felt an unfamiliar warmth in your cheeks and started giggling. Who knew Riki Nishimura, the cold and delinquent big shot, could be so cute?

Riki squinted at you from his perch on the window sill, his sharp gaze making you shrink slightly under its intensity. He started striding toward you, his demeanor making it clear he was about to give you a piece of his mind.

But then he stopped. His steps faltered as he tilted his head, a flicker of amusement breaking into his smile.

“Hold on—” he muttered, his voice laced with suppressed laughter. His hand reached up, plucking a crinkled leaf from where it had been sitting on your head.

Riki couldn’t hold it in anymore. His serious demeanor dissolved as a burst of laughter escaped him, the sound echoing through the room.

“You—how long has that been there?!” You hastily placed your hands over your hair, searching for another one.

Riki teasingly smiled at you, still laughing. “Ever since the courtyard.”

You scoffed. “You just notice everything, don’t you? Ugh, you are so insufferable.”

“Yeah, well,” he smirked, tossing the leaf aside, “you’ll get used to it, pretty.”

— BONUS 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

Riki dragged himself to the infirmary, a cough still rattling in his chest. He muttered under his breath, “Shit—that was so embarrassing.”

With a sigh, he pushed open the door, only to come face-to-face with the doctor, who raised an eyebrow at his dramatic entrance.

“Nishimura. Long time no see,” the doctor said, leaning back in his chair. “Another fight, huh?” He stood, crossing his arms as he studied Riki.

Riki groaned, flopping onto the bed. “No, no fight. I think I have heartburn. Just give me a pill or something.”

The doctor let out a hearty laugh. “Heartburn? You? Now this is new. What’s going on? Totally out of character.”

Riki huffed, turning his face toward the wall. “There’s this girl… Y/N.”

“Ah, I see.” The doctor’s grin widened as he turned to shuffle some papers on his desk.

“She’s so—”

“Infuriating?”

“Yes! And—”

“Stupid?”

“Not only that, but she’s also—”

“Pretty?”

“Yes—wait, what?” Riki whipped his head toward the doctor, his eyes wide with disbelief.

The doctor smirked knowingly. “I think that ‘heartburn’ you’re feeling is called butterflies, Nishimura.”

Riki rolled his eyes, hitting the pillow beneath his head to make himself more comfortable. “Yeah, no, that’s definitely not it.”

“Sure,” the doctor said with a teasing tone. “Stay here and calm down. I’ll tell your teacher to advise Y/N to come down here with your stuff.”

Riki sat up quickly, panic flashing in his eyes. “What? Wait, really—”

The doctor only flashed him a mischievous look before stepping out and shutting the door behind him.

Left alone, Riki’s nerves got the best of him. He sat up, pulled out his phone, and checked his reflection, fussing with his hair for a moment before realizing what he was doing. With a groan, he threw his phone aside and buried his face in the pillow, letting out a muffled sigh.

“I’m so screwed,” he muttered, flopping back onto the bed, utterly defeated.

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rikstellar · 4 days ago

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THANK U SM ZUWNIEIDKENEJDJEKEIDIEIEKDIDKDJD IM SO HAPPY

THE UNIVERSE IS ON YOUR SIDE (nrk x reader)

summary : in which the boy who annoyed you at summer camp becomes your next door neighbor.

featuring : sunoo from enhypen, ningning from aespa, beomgyu from txt and taesan from boynextdoor.

cw : neighbor!riki x fem!reader, kissing, cursing, a little skinship maybe? i think that’s all

wc : 6.1k

nene’s note : this is my first work, kinda nervous !! english is not my first language so if u see grammar errors no u didn’t. tell me what do you think about it! @vickymura this is for u

“you got to be kidding me”. these are the words that left your mouth, not too quietly, when you stared at your new next door neighbor. just behind his mom, who was lively chatting with yours about their recent move to your neighborhood, there was the boy who made your three weeks at summer camp, a living hell. nishimura riki. the tall boy had a grin printed on his full lips, his gaze studying your expression, which wasn’t that hard to decipher. if he just moved here, that would mean that he had to go to your same school and you would have to see him every. single. day. great way to end your summer, really.

unfortunately for you, his mom and yours quickly became friends, bonding over their mutual hobbies, such as baking, gardening and so on. the situation clearly didn’t look good on your side. on riki’s side though? he was the happiest boy on earth right now. he thought that his teasing ended on the last day of camp, but now? he’ll never let you live your life in peace.

“why don’t you come over tomorrow night? we can have dinner all together, my husband would love to meet your family!” your mother suggested with a big smile on her face. ms. nishimura happily agreed, wishing a good night to both you and your mother.

once in your dimly lit room, you collapsed on your bed, screaming into your pillow. the universe really had something against you, putting the one guy you couldn’t stand as your next door neighbor was a real low blow.

you reached for your phone, dialing your best friend’s phone number.

“hi?”, ningning softly spoke, it wasn’t like you to call at such a late hour. “ningning… my life is ruined. why do i bother living..” your muffled voice sounded even more dramatic to your best friend’s ears.

“what the hell happened?” ningning asked, her high pitched voice growing more and more curious. “you know that guy? the one from camp that wouldn’t give me peace? he just moved to the house next to mine, ning. he’s my neighbor”. ningning couldn’t hold her laughter, the sound reaching your ears as an offence to your dilemma. “what the hell are you laughing for? this is a tragedy” you sighed, palming your face at the thought of riki. “goodnight y/n!” your best friend said, before hanging up the call. “wow, what a nice friend” you mumbled to yourself, deciding to go to sleep.

at the end of summer, it would be your senior year so, regardless of the ‘nishimura curse’ — as you decided to name it — you were going to live it to the max.

you heard a honk, right out of your house, meaning that taesan was ready to pick you up. taesan was one of your best friends, in the same friend group as ningning.

“tough night?” he asked with a smile, as he watched your small figure getting in the car, your dark circles giving away that you didn’t even get one hour of sleep. you softly smiled at him, picking up his concerned tone. “yeah, i had a lot to think about” you replied, a hint of exhaustion in your voice. “hm.. wanna grab an ice cream?” he suggested, knowing how much you loved ice cream during warm days like this. “i’d love it. i was craving ice cream yesterday, you know me so well taesan!” a small smile formed on taesan’s lips, his cheeks getting a little redder than they should. “let me tell the group chat, sunoo wanted to try the new ice cream shop near the train station”. just like that, the boy’s smile quickly faded, the opportunity to spend some alone time with you completely lost. “sure, why not.” he said, defeated.

you waited for your friends in front of the ice cream shop, checking your phone while waiting. “y/n! sorry for being late” you heard sunoo’s voice calling for you. you lifted your gaze, only to find him accompanied by riki, a small grin on his face. “today i met riki at the pool! i thought it would be cool for him to join us and maybe meet some new people!” sometimes you hated how sweet and kind sunoo was. “yeah, we know each other” you could easily find a hint of amusement in his voice, it made you want to punch his pretty face. “wow! i didn’t know that! how come?” sunoo looked genuinely surprised by the sudden revelation. “he’s my neighbor, and i met him at the summer camp” you quickly cleared his doubts, your annoyance showing in both your tone and your expression. once the rest of your friends joined you, you all went for your ice creams.

you were all having a walk in the park nearby, eating your delicious ice creams. riki was surrounded by ningning, sunoo and beomgyu, who wanted to know more about him and about the reason he moved from japan to the small town you all lived in. you were walking slower than them, right by taesan’s side.

“i don’t like him” he said, looking at riki talking and making your friends laugh so loudly. “oh thank god you’re sane, taesan! it looks like he all brainwashed them into thinking he’s that guy. i can’t stand him” taesan could only laugh at your words, looking at you fondly.

“you’re a dancer? wow! our y/nnie is in the dance team!” ningning exclaimed, turning to face you and making them copy her action. “oh, is that so?” riki slightly tilted his head to watch you, mentally noting that information. “yeah..” the sudden attention on you made you feel a bit overwhelmed, especially with riki’s gaze burning on your skin. taesan could feel your discomfort and gently placed his hand on your shoulder, squeezing it ever so softly. “it’s getting late, why don’t we call it a day guys?” you mentally thanked taesan for suggesting that and, as everyone agreed, you hugged your friends goodbye (minus riki). taesan held you tighter than everyone else, you really liked his hugs. “y/n, i can walk yo-“ he was interrupted by riki’s voice, right behind the two of you. “y/n, let’s walk home together, since we live in the same neighborhood and we have dinner together, don’t we?” his smirk never left his lips as he pronounced those words.

you sighed, breaking the hug with taesan and giving him an apologetic look. “my mom invited him and his family over, you know, to get to know them better” you explained, receiving an understanding nod by taesan, immediately followed by a glare towards riki.

you spent almost the entire time in silence, leading the way to your house, you didn’t want to talk to him, you were saving yourself for the long dinner that was awaiting you.

“you missed me?” riki tried to get your attention, quickening his steps to be by your side. “sure, i’m so happy to have you here!” you faked your enthusiasm about the whole situation. “oh, c’mon. i know you missed my little pranks! you were always so happy to see me at camp, weren’t you?” he slyly replied, playing with a strand of your hair, before you slapped his hand away. “i would rather light myself up than spend more then 10 minutes in your presence” you glared at him, clearly not having it. “well, you better prepare your lighter, ‘cause i’m not leaving you alone!” he said, ruffling your hair and sticking his tongue out, to mock you. you loudly sighed, fastening your steps to reach your house and get over with this stupid dinner.

your and his parents were passionately discussing about their lives and their jobs, occasionally referring to you and riki, asking which hobbies or sports did you like. riki was seated in front of you, he wouldn’t leave you alone even while you two were in front of your parents. he kept kicking your leg under the table, which you gladly returned, not so lightly as his ones.

“y/n, why don’t you show riki your room?” your dad suggested, once you all finished eating. you rolled your eyes and complied his request, even though you just wanted him to go home and leave you alone, at least today.

riki followed you to your room, looking around him and studying this little piece of you. it really reflected your personality. bright colors, stuffed animals and lots of music cds. riki sat on your bed, without asking your permission. “this room suits you so much” riki spoke, breaking the uncomfortable silence. he took one of your stuffed animals and looked at it. it was a white bunny, with a pink ribbon on its head. he brought it near your face and smiled, finding it very similar to you. “it looks like you” he softly spoke, a chuckle escaping his mouth. you took the bunny out of his hands, hugging it to your chest. “don’t touch my stuff, weirdo.” you said while sitting on your desk chair, while controlling every move of his.

he shook his head, his smile never leaving his lips. “you know, i actually missed you. i thought i wouldn’t have been able to see you anymore, but i guess the universe is on my side huh” you rolled your eyes again, his words sounding so sarcastic to you, you didn’t even bother to believe him. “well i didn’t, i was so happy when the camp ended, not seeing your stupid face was a blessing to me”. you spurted out, glaring at him as you saw him getting up and closer to you. “you really didn’t miss me? not even a little bit?” he placed his hands on the armrests, caging you, and getting closer to your face. you tried your best to sustain his eye contact, not backing off. “not even a little bit” you whispered, your attempts of playing it cool betrayed by your red cheeks. riki laughed at your expression, finally getting up and sitting on your bed once again. “you should see your face right now! you look like a tomato!” he wouldn’t stop laughing, his boxy smile clearly showing and his hands find their place on his belly. “oh shut up!” you screamed at him, throwing him something you found on your desk, but it didn’t stop him from laughing.

while you were trying your best to make riki stop laughing, you heard his mom calling for him, a sign that they were about to go home. you smiled at the realization, kicking him off of your bed and receiving a grunt in response. you happily escorted him to your front door, where his parents were waiting for him. you looked at him with a smirk, happy that after today, you would be able to at least try to avoid him. also, next week you would go to your beach house with your friends, so you wouldn’t have to see him for a whole week!

you had talked too soon.

“honey, i already talked with riki’s parents, why don’t you invite him to our beach house, since he knows your friends now, i’m sure it’ll be fun!” your mother spoke with her usual happy tone, while smiling at the nishimuras.

your jaw fell open, but you quickly closed it because you didn’t want to give a show in front of riki’s parents. you were devastated, your mythical plan to avoid riki was destroyed in less than 30 seconds.

the tall boy, on the other hand, lit up when he heard your mother's suggestion, his smirk finding his way again on his face. “thank you so much ms! i’m sure we’ll have a lot of fun.” his words were directed to your mom, but his gaze never left your eyes.

and with that, your neighbors left your house, leaving you in complete despair. the universe was clearly on riki’s side.

before you knew it, the day of your awaited little vacation arrived and you were rushing out of your house with your suitcase in hand, while your mother was throwing you a thousand questions about whether you brought all you needed and so. you reassured her with an exasperated smile lingering on your lips, hugging her tightly. at the same time, almost comically, the same situation was happening in front of the nishimura’s house, with his mom scolding him about something you couldn’t really understand. when riki saw you, he used it as an opportunity to escape from his mother, waving to her while running towards you. “good morning ms, y/n.” he flashed his charming smile while greeting both your mother and you. he was wearing a black tank top, showing his biceps — who apparently became bigger and stronger over the summer — and some bermuda jeans. you cursed yourself for thinking that an annoying boy like him could be so attractive at the same time.

while he happily chatted with your mother, the minivan you guys rented for this vacation appeared at the end of the road, quickly making its way in front of your house. taesan got out from the driver seat to greet both you and your mother, while throwing a not-so-excited nod of the head towards riki. he helped with your luggage, carefully securing it in the car trunk with the other suitcases. while he did so, you looked into the van to greet your friends who were excitedly smiling and waving at you. you couldn’t help but notice how the last two free seats were at the back of the van, leaving you to sit with the irritating boy who was probably thinking the same thing, by the way he was grinning at you. “can i sit in the front with you?” you asked taesan, turning to face him with the puppiest eyes you could ever make. “sur-” taesan was interrupted by beomgyu, who so happened to hear your question and stated that “he would get car sick if he didn’t seat in the front”, leaving you to just accept your fate and go sit in the back, followed by riki.

you were wearing your earphones, enjoying the notes of some sabrina carpenter’s song while you looked outside the window. you decided to do so after your friends scolded you and riki for bickering and “disturbing the peace” as sunoo dramatically declared with a side eye. you turned to quickly glance at the boy next to you who seemed to have calmed down, his head relaxed against the headrest while his hair fell prettily over his face, framing it as if it was painted by some extraordinary artist who was struck by divine inspiration. you probably were too lost in your thoughts to notice him open his eyes, meeting your own, with an amused smirk plastered across his face.

“you know,” he started speaking, his voice low as the others, aside from taesan who was busy driving, were fast asleep. “for someone who swears to hate me, you do stare a lot” he finished, moisturizing his lower lip with his tongue before slightly chewing on it, something you learned to be a habit of his, but that didn’t fail to make your gaze fall to his lips whenever he did that. you scoffed, diverting your gaze from his grin to the seat ahead, a warm feeling creeping up your neck for being called out so suddenly. “as if,” you muttered, your expression showing disgust as well as embarrassment. “i was just looking at the way you’re drooling, it’s gross”. lame. so lame, but it was the first thing that came to mind at that moment.

you expected him, or rather hoped, to feel uncomfortable and not talk to you for the rest of the ride, but that didn’t seem the case, since he was smirking and leaning closer. “yeah? thanks for telling me” he whispered, trying to wipe off the non-existent drool from his lips, obviously failing. “care to help me?” he continued, his face barely an inch from your own, so close that you could feel his warm breath caressing your lips. you were taken aback by his reaction and the proximity between the two of you. the thought of closing the distance — of feeling his soft and plump lips on yours — was intrusive and unwelcome, and you shook it off with a shudder of irritation, startled out of your own imagination. you glared at him and suppressed a groan, turning to face the window once again, leaving a satisfied riki beside you.

the long car ride finally came to an end, the van pulling up in the driveway and parking in front of the front door, to easily deal with the suitcases. as you got out of the car, stretching your arms and taking a long breath, you got struck by endless memories of your past summers in that exact house. the last time you spent a vacation there was when you were twelve, given that your parents wanted to explore the world, so coming back after so long truly felt like a jump in the past.

everyone started sorting out their belongings in their designated rooms, you and ningning, beomgyu and taesan and lastly, sunoo and riki. the group reunited in the living room after a while, deciding on what to do.

“i’m starving. we didn’t even stop somewhere to eat!” sunoo complained, ningning and beomgyu agreeing with him. taesan and you looked at each other, smiling fondly as you two were the chefs of the group. “fine, but since we’re cooking, we decide the menu,” you stated, causing your friends to laugh and nod, while taesan stared lovingly at your face, looking forward to spending some time alone with you.

or so he thought.

riki didn’t leave the two of you alone for the entire time, coming up with stupid remarks such as “oh, so you put salt in that?” or “my mother makes this differently”. your eye was twitching, anger boiling within you as the boy kept irritating you in every single way possible, but you decided to brush it off, since you didn’t want to ruin your dear vacation. taesan, on the other hand, tried to ignore riki’s presence completely, focusing on preparing lunch and engaging in small talks with you, often interrupted by the urge to curse the japanese boy.

the kitchen was warm, filled with the aroma of pasta sauce and the soft hiss of boiling water. you were focused on stirring the sauce, when a stray splatter landed on your cheek. you were too engrossed in your task to notice, but taesan did.

“y/n, here..” he mumbled, while his hand hesitantly reached towards your face, a quiet and shy smile tugging at his lips. just as his fingers were about to brush your cheek—

“catch!”

a cloth smacked into your face, cutting off the moment as taesan reluctantly stepped back.

“what the fuck?!” you yelled, snatching the cloth off your face and glaring at the culprit, who was leaning on the counter for support because of how hard he was laughing. “hey! i was just trying to help you!” he defended himself, dodging the cloth that you had thrown right back at him. he stuck his tongue out at you before taking off across the kitchen. “you’re so dead riki!” you growled, completely forgetting about the pasta and chasing after him, the two of you running around the island of the kitchen while bickering loudly.

taesan witnessed the moment and sighed softly, returning to the stove with a defeated smile, making sure that the sauce didn’t burn.

after consuming the delicious meal made by you and (mainly) taesan, you all decided to go play in the large pool sitting in the middle of your courtyard, gently prepared by one of your neighbors before your arrival. you rushed to change into a lilac bikini, one of your favorites which really complimented your body and skin, grabbed sunscreen and a beach towel, and made your way to the pool, where sunoo and beomgyu were chattering animatedly about god knows what. you decided to not get involved and to neatly put your towel on one of the sun loungers before applying sunscreen on your smooth skin.

it didn’t take long for the others to come down, one by one, the last of them being riki. you stood up, sunscreen in hand, with the intention of catching ningning before she could dodge her last favorite task: applying the damn protection. but your steps faltered when riki walked into your view, wearing bright red swimming trunks that clung lowly at his waist, just enough to make a statement. the sunlight caught on his skin, highlighting the sharp lines of his defined abs as if they were carved by gods. you would never admit it, but the sight caused your mind to blank for a second too long, causing you to trip over one of the sun lounger’s legs. you were already imagining your face splattered on the floor and you closed your eyes, waiting for the moment to occur.

but it didn’t.

taesan caught you just in time, his hands holding the flesh of your waist as if you would disappear from him in a blink of an eye. you stabilized yourself, your own hand finding its place on his chest, catching your breath from the scare of the situation. “are you okay? are you hurt somewhere?” the boy asked, scanning over your face in search of any sign of discomfort or pain, but he didn’t find anything if not a soft smile tugging at your lips. “i’m okay, thank you. that was a good catch!” you exclaimed, finally interrupting the proximity between you and your best friend. you didn’t catch the slight look of disappointment in his eyes, since a sharp pull from the side sent you stumbling forward, losing all your balance. the cold shock of water engulfed you before you could process what had happened. you understood everything as soon as you heard riki’s loud ass laugh, which was then accompanied by ningning and sunoo’s ones.

you emerged from the water, freeing your vision by your wet hair just to see riki’s smirk, who was tilting his head slightly, his gaze fixed on you and how the water drops caressed your face and neck. “how is it? cold?” he teasingly asked, raising his eyebrows as he scrunched at the edge of the swimming pool. he was expecting you to start yelling and cursing at him, so when he heard your soft laugh and saw you slowly get closer, he was caught off guard. the sound was soft and warm, distracting riki enough to not notice your hand sneaking to his arm, giving you the opportunity to yank him forward, sending him tumbling into the water with a loud splash. “see it for yourself, asshole,” you spat out, laughing when he emerged with a surprised expression, slicking back his hair with a hand to regain his vision. riki blinked once, twice before biting back a grin, lounging towards you with a mischievous glint in his eyes. you shrieked, swimming as fast as you could to get away from the menace trying to get you. your other friends decided to join the mess, starting a water-war, everyone vs. everyone.

as everyone agreed on a truce, beomgyu came up with the idea of playing chicken fighting. it was a classic among your group of friends, so everyone excitedly approved. you paired up with taesan, as you always did, claiming to be the “unbeatable duo” who always kicked your friends’ asses. the first match was ningning and riki versus sunoo and beomgyu, resulting in sunoo dramatically falling in the water and blaming it on his teammate’s horrible balance.

now, it was taesan and your turn against ningning and riki. your teammate immersed himself enough to let you sit on his shoulders, securing you immediately after by gripping the soft skin of your thighs with his hands firmly but yet tenderly. you smiled at ningning, high fiving her while wishing her good luck. on the other hand, taesan and riki were glaring at each other, competitive glints in their eyes. riki squeezed ningning’s knees to grab her attention, mouthing “we have to win”.

the two teams aligned and when given the start by sunoo, the fight started. you lunged forward, reaching for ningning’s arms to unbalance her, but her movements were quicker than you expected as she swayed slightly, gripping riki’s hair for support and countered with a push toward you. “riki, stop moving!” she yelled, laughing as he tried to stabilize himself under her. taesan adjusted his footing, keeping you steady as you pushed back against ningning. for a moment, you thought you had the upper hand, a smirk lingering on your lips as you already could picture the unsatisfied expression on riki’s face. you managed to grab her wrist, throwing her off balance, but riki was quick to grip her legs tightly, preventing her from falling. she leaned back just enough to recover and swung back, a smile on her face as she mouthed a “you’re going down”. she locked onto your arms, forcing you to shift your weight to maintain your balance. taesan took a step back to stabilize you, but that only gave riki an opening, splashing water to throw you off. ningning gave a final shove, and with riki’s forward momentum, the two of you toppled backwards. you surfaced with a gasp, spitting out pool water as the other two cheered.

riki turned around, water dripping from his hair as he prepared to mock you and tease you, but the words never came. his smile faltered, then vanished entirely. there you were, standing in taesan’s arms, laughing ever so lightly as he was delicately brushing some water off your eyes with his thumbs, a fond gaze filled with tenderness that riki recognized all too well. something in his chest tightened, hating how familiar that look was, reminding himself of how he found himself watching you when you weren’t looking in that exact way. ningning managed to snap him back from his thoughts by dragging him to beomgyu, saying how he was the problem since she always lost when she paired up with him. riki smiled at the friendly banter between the two, but he was distracted again by your laugh again, probably because of some joke taesan made. he looked away, his jaw tightening as he mentally scolded himself to get it together.

you kept tossing around in your shared bed with ningning, who fell asleep the moment she laid her head on the soft pillow. you smiled at how peaceful she looked, not recognizing the feeling of getting a good sleep in ages. in order to not wake her up with your moving around, you decided to get out of the room to go take some fresh hair on the balcony. that’s something you did quite often, given that your insomnia deprived you of your well deserved rest most nights. you lingered on the railing, chills surfacing at the underestimated cold hair at that time of the night. you closed your eyes, taking a long, deep breath and relishing in the slight breeze and complete silence of the night, relaxing your muscles.

“can’t sleep?” a deep voice came from behind you, startling you as you spun around, just to see riki standing by the door frame with his hands in the pockets of his oversized hoodie.

“fuck riki, you scared me!” you whisper yelled, glaring at him as you turned your back at him again, watching the calm sea in the distance. you expected him to laugh or respond with a witty comeback, but he just walked next to you, silently staring at the scenery in front of you two. it was weird of him, so you quickly glanced at him, his side of the face caressed by the soft moonlight, making him look even more handsome. the two of you fell in a comfortable silence, which didn’t last long when riki turned his head to look at you.

“are you and taesan together?” he asked, not even a bit of amusement or sarcasm in his voice. you choked on your own saliva by the sudden question, turning to look at him with knotted eyebrows. “wha-what? of course not! he’s my best friend!” you explained a little bit too excitedly, a blush creeping onto your cheeks. you thanked the gods above for the poor lighting in that given moment. riki simply hummed, acknowledging your response with a nod of the head, while he dragged his gaze from your face to the floor. you decided to not investigate his strange behavior, opting to just take advantage of this moment of tranquility.

you mentally cursed yourself for forgetting to bring your hoodie, the cold hair making you freeze. you started caressing your arms with your hands, kind of hugging yourself to warm you up. you looked at riki, expecting him to have some sort of reaction to you freezing to death and when he felt your eyes on his side of the face, he spared you a glance, arching an eyebrow. “what? you’re expecting me to give you my hoodie? go get your own.” he countered, shaking his head with a lopsided smile. you scoffed, of course he couldn’t be nice to you, it wasn’t in riki’s style. “why are you always so fucking annoying?” you muttered, turning around to go back to your room but before you could, he threw his hoodie in your face. what’s up with him and tossing things at you? you were tempted to just leave and go get your own, but you wore the sweater without saying anything, your nostrils being immediately filled with his scent, making you a little light weighted.

“what did you just say?” he asked, his voice low and sharp, sending a shiver down your spine. before you could respond, he stepped closer to you, caging you between him and the balcony railing. his hands gripped the cold metal on either side of you, boxing you in. you tilted your head up, meeting his dark and unreadable gaze, making your heart pound fast in your chest. “w-why are you always so annoying..?” you repeated, your confidence completely lost as the proximity between the two of you made you nervous, more than you should be. riki smirked at the shift in your demeanor, his smirk widening as he looked into your eyes and leaned even closer. “make me stop.” he simply said, his warm breath caressing your lips, as if it was inviting you to close the distance.

your eyes started flickering from his eyes to his lips, looking painfully inviting. your hands creeped up his chest, gripping the fabric of his t-shirt firmly and slowly pulling him closer. your lips were almost brushing against his, closing your eyes as you were going to finally press then against his—

“riki! here you are! i don’t know how to turn the a/c on, can you help—” sunoo barged on the balcony, immediately stopping on his tracks when he saw riki getting yanked away by you. his eyes narrowed, looking between the two of you, noticing how you were wearing the hoodie he saw on riki just an hour before, the situation too weird to be overlooked. but before he could indulge in asking what was going on, you wished goodnight to the boys and sprinted to your room, leaving the two guys in the breeze of the night. sunoo observed the taller boy, noticing a frustrated look on his face as he nonchalantly walked into the house to go turn the a/c on.

if you couldn’t sleep before, now resting was completely out of the question, your mind kept replaying the previous moment again and again, no matter how hard you tried not to. you sighed and closed your eyes, knowing it was going to be one of the longest nights ever.

the next few days, you forced yourself to ignore and avoid riki at any cost. he tried to talk to you, to get you to even spare a glance his way, but nothing. it felt like he was invisible to you. you spent time with taesan, who seemed relieved, but you didn’t quite understand why. you also engrossed yourself in long skincare sessions with sunoo and ningning, who seemed to have a whole suitcase filled with only beauty products. you tried to keep yourself busy, to stop yourself from thinking about riki and what had happened that night, but you could still feel his lips brush against yours every time you closed your eyes. it didn’t help having his burning gaze on you either, especially when you were with taesan. you knew that you couldn’t ignore him forever, but that’s the only rational and logical choice you could make, too scared of what could happen and of your own feelings.

it was the last night of the vacation, so you all decided to spend it at the beach, just walking around and reminiscing about the fun memories you created together. the others were ahead, their laughter and chatter blending with the sound of the waves crashing in the distance. you were lost in your thoughts, walking slower, your feet sinking slightly in the sand with every step you took. a sudden touch on your wrist snapped you out of your head. you stopped on your tracks and turned around, startled to find riki. his grip was gentle but firm, you couldn’t really decipher what he was feeling, but he surely wasn’t happy, and you felt guilt growing inside your chest.

“y/n.” your name rolled off his tongue in a way that made it feel heavier than usual, his eyes piercing through yours as he seemed determined to talk to you that night. “talk to me,” he softly spoke, getting closer to you as the lively chitchat of your friends faded in the background. “please,” his tone was pleading, almost vulnerable. his eyes searched yours, as if trying to find the answer to an unspoken question. a sigh of relief escaped his lips when you nodded, understanding that you couldn’t just escape from your ‘problems’ and that, sooner or later, you would have had to face them.

“i’m sorry if i made you uncomfortable that night,” he started, leaving your wrist but keeping you close to him, as if you would just vanish if he stood too far from you. “i tried giving you space, but i can’t stand you ignoring me. i crave your attention constantly, i want you to look at me, think of me. y/n, i want you to like me. just as much as i like you”. your eyes widened at his last sentence, your heart started pounding against your ribcage. he liked you? all this time, he had feelings for you? you tore your eyes off of his, panic flickering across your face, your mind and your heart fighting over what you really wanted.

riki let out a shaky breath, mistaking your silence and your shocked expression as rejection. “i probably chose the wrong approach, but it was the only way to have your attention. i know you don’t feel the same, but please just tell me wh—” you interrupted him by crashing your lips on his, cupping his cheeks with your hands to pull him close to you. riki froze for a split second, his eyes widening in shock, but as soon as realization hit him— the girl he had fallen for so hard was kissing him— he instantly melted into the kiss, his hands finding your waist, pulling you impossibly closer.

you broke the kiss, your lips still tingling from the kiss, looking into his eyes with a soft smile. “you surely talk too much, riki.” you spoke, resting your forehead against his while looking into his eyes, finally seeing that fond gaze he always had when looking at you. “if this is your way of shutting me up, then i don’t think i’ll ever close this mouth” riki teasingly replied, bringing one hand to your face, his thumb grazing your plump lower lip with a delicacy you never thought he could be capable of.

you shook your head, a soft laugh escaping your lips as he looked at you with a lovesick smile. he vowed in that moment to make it his mission to see that smile everyday. he closed the distance again, his lips met yours in a sweet, unhurried kiss which was a silent confession of everything he couldn’t put into words.

you guess that, after all, the universe might have been on your side all along.

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rikstellar · 4 days ago

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ily 🍭💗🐸

i love u more 🐸💋🍭

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rikstellar · 4 days ago

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ahh i loved your fic hehe i'm looking forward for more <33

can i be 🍭 anon?

thank u ☹️☹️☹️☹️ it means sm to me!!!

ofc u can be ! 💋💋

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rikstellar · 5 days ago

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THE UNIVERSE IS ON YOUR SIDE — (nrk x reader)

summary : in which the boy who annoyed you at summer camp becomes your next door neighbor.

featuring : sunoo from enhypen, ningning from aespa, beomgyu from txt and taesan from boynextdoor.

cw : neighbor!riki x fem!reader, kissing, cursing, a little skinship maybe? i think that’s all

wc : 6.1k

nene’s note : this is my first work, kinda nervous !! english is not my first language so if u see grammar errors no u didn’t. tell me what do you think about it! @vickymura this is for u

you reached for your phone, dialing your best friend’s phone number.

at the end of summer, it would be your senior year so, regardless of the ‘nishimura curse’ — as you decided to name it — you were going to live it to the max.

you heard a honk, right out of your house, meaning that taesan was ready to pick you up. taesan was one of your best friends, in the same friend group as ningning.

you spent almost the entire time in silence, leading the way to your house, you didn’t want to talk to him, you were saving yourself for the long dinner that was awaiting you.

you had talked too soon.

and with that, your neighbors left your house, leaving you in complete despair. the universe was clearly on riki’s side.

or so he thought.

“y/n, here..” he mumbled, while his hand hesitantly reached towards your face, a quiet and shy smile tugging at his lips. just as his fingers were about to brush your cheek—

“catch!”

a cloth smacked into your face, cutting off the moment as taesan reluctantly stepped back.

taesan witnessed the moment and sighed softly, returning to the stove with a defeated smile, making sure that the sauce didn’t burn.

but it didn’t.

“can’t sleep?” a deep voice came from behind you, startling you as you spun around, just to see riki standing by the door frame with his hands in the pockets of his oversized hoodie.

you guess that, after all, the universe might have been on your side all along.

#ni ki x reader #riki x reader #nishimura riki #enhypen #enhypen x reader #enhypen fluff #enha x reader #enhypen fic #enha fics #enhypen ff #enha ff

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rikstellar · 5 days ago

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GET TO KNOW ME !!

hai! i’m nene, ‘05 liner !! this blog is enhypen centered ! reqs are open !! masterlist.

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rikstellar · 6 days ago

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BOOMSHAKALAKA

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rikstellar · 21 days ago

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( ✉️ ) 𝒜noni𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬ly in l𝓸ve.

★ ( 언하이픈 NI-KI ) ── SUM. in which you have a crush on the popular guy in your class but is too shy to confess, sending him letters anonymously. genre. angst, cliche, fluff, crack, crush to more (?). 𝒻ℯ𝗆𝖺𝗅𝖾 𝗿𝖾𝖺𝒹𝖾𝗋! 𝓌𝒸. 799O ♡ 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾𝗌, 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗋𝖾𝖻𝗅𝗈𝗀𝗌 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱! ( 𝐦𝖺𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝗅𝗂𝗌𝗍. ) ❔ PART.2

BIG warnings. mentions of food, reader is bullied by mean girls in class, jaeyun, heeseung and sunghoon study in the same class as riki, sexual term: "get his dick wet", curse and dirty words, vague mention of sending nudes, reader lives with her sister and grandma, reader mum's passed away, sunghoon's indirect kiss theory is mentioned, slow burn, not proofread, english is not my 1st language.

𝒜!NOTE. HAPPY LATEEEEE BIRTHDAY MY BABY RIKI, I LOVE YOU MWAH MWAH IM GONNA CRY I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!!!! ><

YOU LOVE WATCHING YOUR CRUSH practice after class at an empty classroom. even though you felt nervous to be spotted and perceived as a creep, you kind of wanted to, wondering if riki would look deep into your eyes for the first time in years you've been loving him.

yesterday you wrote your first letter to him, expressing how much you admired him and how much you loved when his smile while he joked with his friends. you left the letter inside his backpack and watched his expression change the moment he realised something like a crumpled paper was hiding in the very depth of it. once you saw his frown and laugh while joking about the, well, the once love letter, you felt embarrassed ━ almost like ashamed.

you wondered for a second: why would he laugh at something you spent all night writing and planning how to give it to him? and why would he walk up to the trash bin? ━ did he threw it away? wait, did he? ━ your eyes began to form tears. you watched your crush walk out of the classroom while talking loudly with his friends, but the only thing that could be heard were your loud thoughts.

you quickly woke up from your trance and walk up to the trash bin to check if your situation was unfortunate. and i guess it was, well, is.

YOUR HEART BEGAN TO BEAT faster once your phone ringed. thankfully, riki wears earphones while practicing. you sighed before sitting on the ground while your back rested against the cold wall behind you.

"what do you want?!" "wow, someone's a bit grumpy today, huh? he didn't come to school?" your sister jokes. you take a deep breath before replying. "what do you want?!" you whine. "grandma is asking you to come back earlier," she says. "why?" "because she is worried about you." "okay, bye-" "wait! can you buy me some ice cream?" you sigh. "no! you just said grandma wants me to come back home earlier, dumbass!" "but... a few minutes won't hurt anyone! hang up and you'll get home even quicker! bye!" "by- ugh..."

you stood up from the ground, taking care to not be spotted again while adjusting your backpack. you took a quick glance at the classroom where riki were. however, he was gone, leaving you confused since you didn't know he just left. "does it means he saw me?!" you whispered-yelled, thinking to yourself. "did he?!" you glanced back, looking at nothing else than a beautiful orange sunset, temporarily painting those white walls.

YOU LEFT THE SCHOOL BUILDING and realised a few students were still wandering around the campus. you took a deep breath, enjoying the great weather of a breezy monday.

however, the weather felt colder and you began to feel fear, something about chills down your spine. that's when you knew they were coming. "hey, hey, hey, where do you think you're going, sweetie?" the three girls behind her chuckled after she called you that. "tell me," she looked down at you like you were a little kid. "is that how you want riki to call you, mhm?" she smirked while the other girls laughed again.

her name is yoko: an exchange student from japan. of course she protected riki with her heart! she is just his type and talks to her, differently from you. she is cute in the masculine perception, she has that haircut he loves, is good at everything and speaks three languages besides japanese. ━ literally a school queen bee.

"you want to have some fun with us tonight?" yoko placed her arm across your shoulders, abruptly pulling it to look down. "look at this scaredy cat!" she jokes, laughing out loud. "what are ya'll looking at?!" she yells at some students who were watching from afar. sighing, she angrily smiles. "you don't need to go home right now, right?" you keep yourself shut. "right, sweetie?" she pulls your hair and forces you to shake your head. "no, yeah... perfect! i am in a mood to..." she hums, thinking. "massage! ugh, my day was so stressful!" yoko leads you back to school, planning to get her massage done at one of the classrooms.

"Y/N, LISTEN: WHERE ARE YOU?!", "okay, at this point my ice cream is melted, come home!" "never mind, y/n, i don't want ice cream anymore, come home." your sister's voice echoed while you listened to her voicemail. you wondered if she were still awake at this point.

your head hurts and your mascara is ruined. your hands emptied and your legs almost giving up from being on your knees for two long hours. therefore, you called her while walking on the street back home.

"hey..." "Y/N?! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?!" "um... i got caught up on some things and-" "IT'S THOSE GIRLS AGAIN, RIGHT?! WHERE ARE YOU?!" "sis," you sigh. "stop. i am almost home." "stop? STOP, Y/N? WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO YOU THIS TIME?! WHAT HAVE-" bep ━ you hang up on her face.

YOU TOOK A DEEP BREATH before unlocking your house's door, silently walking in just to encounter the lights off and a awkward silence creeping you; once you saw the feminine figure walking down the stairs. "y/n?!" your sister whispered yelled, rushing to check on you. "are you okay?" you nod. "what have they done to you this time, oh my god, look at your face!" she tries to rub her thumb against your smudged mascara, but you avoid it. "i'm going up to my room," "no, you-" "let me go!" you snap, tears streaming down your face. "today was a hard day, okay?" you sniff before sprinting to your room, leaving your sister dumbfounded.

"HOW WAS SCHOOL YESTERDAY, SWEETIE?" your grandma asks you while placing a piece of teared bread on your plate. "um... it went fine." "oh, yeah? i was worried about you... i apologise, i slept before you could arrive home, did you eat something?" "oh, yeah." you nod, smiling a little bit.

"liar," your sister murmurs. "what? liar? who?" your grandma questions her behavior, sitting on her chair. "did i say liar?" she chuckles, sitting beside you after taking a sip on her coffee. "i meant air fryer! i need to buy an air fryer..." she address you a deep glance, acting a little thoughtful. "but our oven works just fine, hun'" "oh, yeah, i know," she shrugs. "i was just doing like, um... manifestation...?" "you and that manifestation thing," the old lady laughs.

"um... i should get going by now, i'll be late..." you murmur, standing up from the table still chewing on some bread. "okay, sweetie, take care!" your grandma and your sister wave at you and you finally walk out of your house.

you sigh before checking the time on your phone, making sure you could still get the bus to your school. confirming you were good, you walked to the nearest stop like you always did. you picked up your earphones from your backpack and began to listen to some music, focusing on your own steps, looking down.

feeling calmed down while holding the letter you wrote last light, you recapped your plan, in which: you will try to slip between his locker gaps. and then, you-

"oh, sorry," you bump onto someone's back, interrupting your thoughts. you take off your earphones before replying. "oh, no problem..." your tongue felt dumb for a second when you recognised those hands. those hands belongs to someone you like. someone you love. suddenly, reality check began to hit you, and realising your lover's hand were handing you the letter ━ supposed to be delivered a few hours later ━ you panicked.

"um... it's not mine!" you speak nervously, taking a few steps back while waving your hands. "but- it came out of your- um.. somewhere?" "u-uh... you can j-just throw it in the trash nearby-" "what? no way i am letting this go into the trash, this looks fire!" riki smiles. "you think so...?" "yeah! it's beautiful, man," ━ why did you throw it away yesterday, then?

"oh... but why would you keep it, it's not really necessary..." "why are you so interested on what i am going to do with this letter if it doesn't belongs to you?" riki suddenly speaks up, chuckling at your dropped jaw. he slips the/your letter on his trouser's pocket and nods at the bus ━ that just arrived ━ like he was telling you: let's go. ━ so you enter the vehicle.

you watched riki greet his friends that were already sat on the bus. by somewhat miracle, you were fated to sit beside him. your legs felt like jelly when he looked at you up and down before nodding his head at the empty sit beside the window. it took you a few seconds before walking up to that sit.

uncomfortably is how you felt for riki once he sat beside you, an awkward silence was created and the only thing you were hearing was his friends laughter while the japanese boy murmured something. you felt embarrassed, like you were a rock on their ways. somehow a burden.

"hey," a deep voice echoed close to you. you glance to your side and your eyes meet with riki's. "what happened to your knees?" he nods at your knees once he realised you didn't seemed aware. "you would you look down to my knees?" your crush's face expression changed to a confused one, almost like surprised by your question. "wow, i am not interest on you or in your intimacy, i was just simply curious," he lets out a nasal chuckle, almost like mocking you. "but, never mind, i guess..." you sigh, putting your earphones back, realising you just ruined everything.

IT WAS LUNCH TIME AND you have written your crush a letter while sitting on a toilet at the restroom's stall. you couldn't craft an envelope, so you apologised while thinking about what else to write. with that, while no one was walking by at the hallway, you took the chance to put your plan into action and slip the letter into his locker ━ you also wrote on the letter that you were upset he threw your letter away, giving him a hint you were from his class.

once the bell ringed, you were already at class taking some notes from last class. you saw riki walk in while holding your opened letter. your cheeks felt hotter, your surroundings was forgotten and your eyes locked on him.

feeling the burning sight, riki tries to find who was marking a kiss on his back, meeting his eyes with you for a second, nothing special. however, that was enough to get you all shy and giggly ━ obviously on the inside.

"Y/N! UGH, WHERE IS SHE?!" yoko's scream was heard throughout the halls and your eyes widened once you realised how mad she sounded. "I AM GOING TO KILL THAT BITCH!" once you heard that you started to run, you ignored everything: the growing embarrassment feeling inside of you and the looks people were giving you. "THERE IS THAT WHORE! I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" she shouts, running towards you. "YOU CAN RUN AS MUCH AS YOU WANT, BITCH!"

while running, you looked back and drew your attention to her. with this little lack of attention, you bumped onto someone, in which you prayed it wasn't riki. however, that smell... that chest... that voice... "shit!" that was riki.

"I PROMISE! SHE DEFAMED ME! that's why i chased her!" you listened yoko complain to the principal. "is that true, miss?" the principal questions you, cocking a brow. you breathed to speak but the japanese girl had other plans. "yes! it is true, mr. yang! she did it!" "yoko, let your colleague answer!" "um... it's not tru-" "STOP LYING, YOU IDIOT!" she yelled. "SHUT UP!" you stood up from your seat. "GIRLS! STOP! YOU TWO WILL BE CLEANING THE SCHOOL AFTER CLASS! DONE!"

"UGH! THIS IS UNFAIR!" you shout. "miss, watch your tone..." the principal threatens. "huh?! watch my tone?" you chuckle, slowly looking at mr. yang with teary eyes. "mr. yang, i think you didn't listen the way she called me an idiot and all the times i've complained about yoko's behaviour towards me! you don't listen!" "enough, y/n! i am calling the person in charge of you." "but-" "NO buts, dismissed," you sigh before walking to the door. "wait, miss y/n, i am keeping an eye on you!" the principal points at you, making your eyes roll with frustration.

once both of you walked off of the principal's office, yoko turned her face at you with a creepy smile. "i am not staying late cleaning this lousy school with you, i hope you know this." she shrugged nodding her head, bumping her shoulder against yours. "oh, and i almost forgot," she slowly turns back to look at you. "if you think you can get riki with those silly, dumb letters, i am afraid that... you might lose him for someone else..." flying you a playful kiss and realising you were in the brim of crying, she laughs out loud, walking away.

and you? you stay, standing there like an dumped idiot. feeling a sense of loneliness and humiliation, your feet felt numb and you fell onto the ground, weak and helpless.

you wanted riki to like you. you really wanted to. however, you knew you were and would never be in his league, that's why you preferred seeing him smile, even though it wasn't at or for you. ━ or, because of you.

your head hurts, sending you a signal of stress. your eyes were completely blinded by the sight of crystal clear hurtful tears, filled with nothing else but embarrassment.

"OH MY GOD! ANOTHER GUM!" you scrunch your nose while cleaning up a desk. "i guess that was mine," a deep voice echoed throughout the empty classroom and your heart dropped. you turned your head back, surprised and nervous. "oh..." "just kidding." riki chuckles, walking in. "will i disturb you if i sit here?" he asks you while sitting down on the chair you always sat on.

you smirk a little, but turn you head as it grew to a big grin. "no..." you murmur, using a wet cloth to wipe some notes written down on the desk. "great," riki sighs while watching you clean the classroom. "need a hand?" you pondered for a second. "sure..." you reply. in a abrupt act, you hear the sound of his wrinkled white school shirt while he stood up, and suddenly he was standing right beside you.

"what can i do to help you then?" "um..." you blink a few times taking a small step back. "you can get that extra cloth and, um... wipe the black board for me?" "yeah," your crush smiles at you, making your heart melt.

a few seconds surviving under a uncomfortable silence, riki speaks up: "where do you live?" ━ don't mess it up this time! "uh... i live close to that supermarket," "which one?" "i think its name is... fresh basket." "really?!" "yeah..." "i live on the street behind fresh basket!" you gasp, turning to look at him dumbfounded. "are you kidding me? how come i haven't seen you anywhere?" you watch him shrug while pouting his lips.

"by the way," he clears his throat, leading his way to sit on the teacher's chair. "are you and yoko in... good terms now?" you notice the hesitance creeping his tone. you sigh and sensing a hint that that wasn't the case, riki adds: "i guess not..."

"do you like her?" you went straight to the point. "what?" "i mean, i don't want to sound invasive but... i am curious," you lean back on one of the desks. "do you like, yoko?" "why?" "i don't know," shrugging, you pick up the mop to clean the floor. "i just think she is your type so... yeah." "fair enough, but, uh..." riki sounded thoughtful, replying: "isn't she like a mean girl or something?" "what do you think?" you ironically answer. "i guess that was an yes, i'll take that, um," he hums, still thinking. "i mean, i don't know where you heard she was my type, so, no, i don't like her." "why do you walk with her then?" ━ rude, y/n!

riki chuckles before sighing. "i am sensing some jealousy, huh?" "what?" you stopped mopping. "why? did i catch you up on a jealousy attack?" he stands up from the chair he was sat on and leans his face closer to yours, analysing you. "you're cute," he giggles, turning his back at you, walking back to the teacher's seat. "you're so cute, y/n, maybe i should start walking with you instead." your crush teases.

"oh, answering your cute jealous question i just walk with that petty bitch because heeseung wants to give her some kisses," he playfully pouts, mocking a peck. "that's all." "heeseung likes her?" "like her? nah, he just wants to get his dick wet," you hum, understanding the situation.

"can i get your number?" "huh?!" you gasp, making riki laugh. "your number!" he displays his hand holding his his phone. "come here, type it," curling his finger while calling you felt intimidating, so you walked up to him and took his phone, finishing mopping and leaving the cleaning tool away; typing your number. "should i save your contact with a heart?" he drops his head to the side, playing with your innocence. "if you want to," you shrug, turning your back at him in a nonchalant act ━ like you weren't dying inside.

"i just sent you an emoji, save my contact, please~" his tone sounded playfully cute. "you want to walk home together since it's late?" you blushed with the thought of walking home side by side with your crush. "uh, sure!" "good."

"HERE YOU GO, YOUR DELICIOUS ice cream," riki hands you an ice cream he insisted buying you since he was used doing it after school. "thank you." "no problem." for the first time a comfortable silence was established, but it didn't last for long since riki started talking.

"you wanna know something stupid i heard a while ago?" "mhm?" "sunghoon told me that, a friend of his, right," you nodded, drawing your attention from your ice cream to riki. "told him that when someone wants to try a drink or whatever once you had already put your mouth in it, it's an indirect kiss," riki chuckles, making you laugh. "stupid, right?" "i mean," you thought for a bit. "i guess it makes sense but... i dunno." you shrug, laughing with your crush for the first time.

"do you live with your mum?" you ask riki. "yeah, my mum, my dad and my two sisters ━ konon and misola." "konon? i heard about her! isn't she the girl who won that talent show a few years ago?" "mhm-hm." he confirms, leading you to complete surprise. "i didn't know, i think talent runs in your bloodline, huh?" you joke. "what do you mean?" "you dance, right?" "how did you know?" he stops with his eyes widen, taking a few steps back from shock. "uh... i thought everyone at school knew...?" his face expression has a sudden change: a big smile that wrinkles his eyes, "i'm just playing with you, everyone knows, you're good."

ARRIVING AT YOUR HOUSE ENTRANCE, no more ice cream and no more subjects to discuss at the moment, riki sighs, stopping in front of your house with his hands inside his pockets. "so... what do you say?" "what do you mean?" you frown. "would you like to walk with us?" your crush looks deeply into your eyes across the classroom. "i don't want you to feel like you have to do this ━ just because-" "hey, i'ts fine," he shakes his head, reassuring you. "the boys won't mind! come on!" "uh, i-i-i think i'll get sick tomorrow!"

"ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS, Y/N? 'i think i'll get sick tomorrow!' ━ YOU DUMBASS! the boy you like asks you if you want to stay with him and his friends and you reply 'i think i'll get sick blah, blah, blah [...]" your sister complains after eating a spoonful of an old ice cream she had in the freezer. "i-i got nervous!" you defend yourself. "y/n... i fear something..." "what do you mean?" your eyes widened a little bit, confused and curious. "i-i fear i am... NOT your sister because i wouldn't be this stupid!" your sister almost spits on your face, standing up from the sofa and walking up to the kitchen.

"what do you mean~?!" you whine. "now i am feeling regret!" "as you should." she looks dead at your eyes, going back to the comfort of the sofa. "but-" "y/n, sit down," you hesitantly sit down beside your sister. "first of all, you shouldn't be whining and crying for me when you could be, at the very least, holding hands with riki next week," she sighs. "second of all, you said you gave him your number, go for it! text him!" she speaks like its obvious. "it's not that easy... "bitch, yoko made it because she is shameless, and you should be too! in a good way ━ of course."

"WHAT SHOULD I TEXT HIM?" you ask your sister. "i think a cake recipe won't be a good idea., y/n," she sarcastically says, shrugging. "what should i text him then?" she snuggles closer to you on your bed. "do you really want to send your crush a cake recipe?" "no!" "exactly, just send an: 'hey', nice and simple." "a 'heeey' or just 'hey'?" "at this point this word already lost its meaning, just send a 'hey', y/n!" she starts to get impatient. "okay, okay!" your sister watches you type something with a certain hesitance, and in a fast move she grabs your phone, stands up from your bed and texts riki.

"HEY!" you stand up, trying to get your phone back. "wow, i sent just that!" she hands you your phone back. "and a few more thin-" "HEY, HOW ARE YOU, HANDSOME?!" "i don't remember sending that..." you throw your phone on your bed and screams with anger, picking up your pillow and forcing your sister's face against it. "Y/N, IT WAS JUST A SILLY TEXT!" "YOU ARE DEAD, Y/S/N!" "Y/N-" ting ━ new notification rings.

"if that's riki, you're dead, y/s/n," you read his text, which were saying: "hey, i'm fine, how about you, cutie?" both of you started screaming as your nosy sister read his text with you. "OH MY GOD! THIS IS CRAZY!" "I KNOW! GRANDMA IS GOING TO WAKE UP WITH OUR SCREAMS!" "I KNOW, I AM SCARED ━ HOW SHOULD I REPLY HIM?" "ASK FOR NUDES!" "OKA- WHAT?!"

THE NEXT DAY YOU WOKE up late. any guesses? you got a little bit carried away while chatting with riki, leading you to a two hour sleep. you were quickly applying some sun screen when you heard something hitting your window.

at first, you ignored, too busy and late to deal with some random noise. but when it repeated, you got a little confused, ignoring the time just to open it, encountering the black haired japanese boy waving at you while smiling ━ your crush.

"what are you doing?!" you frown. "let's go to school, the last bus is almost arriving!" you gasped, spraying some perfumes and leaving without even closing your window. you sprinted to the door, getting your backpack and getting your shoes on in a very clumsy way, making your sister worry. "are you okay?" your sister asks you when she hears the front door opening. you laugh at her outfit before replying ━ her wet hair tied up in a towel, wearing a hot pink robe matching with her neon top and zebra print leggings. "you look amazing and yes i am okay, i am heading out right now." "alright, take ca- OH MY GOD, RIKI IS OUTSI-"

"hi-" "who was that crazy woman who just screamed my name?" you two began to walk side by side to the bus stop. "my sister..." you replied, kind of embarrassed. "she is so cool, does she live with you and your mum?" "she does but i don't live with my mum." "oh? yeah?" sensing your sensitive tone, he doesn't ask much about it. "yeah, i live with my grandma though." "so, you, your sister and your granny?" "mhm-hm." "your family feels welcoming," riki comments, making you smile and blush with the subtle compliment.

"are you hungry?" he asks. "kind of, why?" "here," he takes something out of his pocket and hands to you. "my mum made this biscuits," you took the sugary biscuits. "really?" he hums, confirming, adding: "once i commented about you, she freaked out ━ in a good way, saying she should make something for you." you giggled before replying. "thank her for me," you smile. "she'll be even happier if you ate them..." he hums and you take his sign, unlacing the little bow sealing the small plastic bag holding those sugary godness. "oh my god... it tastes so good, it's delicious!" your eyes widened. "i know." riki playfully brags, bumping his shoulder with yours while smiling.

arriving at the bus stop, you and riki quickly got inside the bus; and since both of you were late, riki's friend weren't there.

riki had to occupy the seat in front of you since both seats beside the window were occupied by two random strangers. thankfully, your relationship with your crush become comfortable overnight, leading to a certain intimacy. with that being said, riki was quick to sit and turn to look at you. but not just turning his head, but his whole body ━ his knees supported by the seat while both of his arms were crossed, laying on the upper part of it. and, of course, his face was just smiling at you. that youthful feeling of a first love began to creepy the corner of your lips, leading to a small grin and a flustered face.

"why? did i make you shy?" he asks. "you're embarrassing me!" you whisper-yell, discreetly nodding at the two strangers ━ giving both of you a confused, amused, yet, dirty look. "sit down!" "why~?" he whines, but you manage to make him seat ━ earning a pouty riki for the rest of the ride.

DURING THE RIDE YOU REMEMBERED last night, while talking with your crush on the phone, you wrote a letter to send him. this time, you were talking about the sound of his voice and how kind you thought he were, trying your best to not give him the hint it was completely and definitely you. because, even though riki seemed the popular, desired, careless japanese boy from school, you knew he is and was intelligent. wise enough to quickly find out about you in a blink of an eye.

"hey, wanna stop writing a little and grab lunch with us?" you stop writing something down on your notebook to look up at the familiar deep voice calling you. "um... maybe later, i'll finish this real quick and i'll catch up with you-" "ey~, come on... uh..." the aussie boy standing beside riki starts speaking, but suddenly stops. however, his friend saves him by whispering something in his ear. "y/n! yeah, come on, y/n! come with us!" you blink a few times, an awkward and painful silence creeping you and the four boys in front of you.

your crush coughs before breaking the awkwardness: "let's go, y/n, otherwise you'll miss lunch like you always do." "how did you...?" you question him and yourself, trying to find how he discovered that. he pulls you from your seat by your hand in a gentle way, placing his arm across your shoulders, attempting to make you more comfortable; and less of a burden ━ since you showed signs of being a over thinker.

"you have a beautiful handwriting i might say," riki comments and you look back, checking if the other boys were there. "oh, thanks." you innocently thank him, smiling. you notice how your crush's smile looked so big and mischievous, mysteriously hiding something. "what?" "mhm? what's what?" "whats up with that grin?" his face shuts. "uh, what grin?" in a cartoonish way, he frowns, mocking an angry face. "weren't going to get sick today?" "stop making fun of me!" you turn your face to avoid his, acting like a child. you pouted while listening to his laughter.

AFTER SITTING DOWN ON A table with riki's friend group, everyone was silent, and riki, noticing your shyness, he nudges heeseung so he can say something to break the ice ━ in which he whispered an: "i gotchu". "soooo... you are close to yoko, y/n...?" "oh my god..." the japanese boy covers his face, taking a deep breath. "what?! i'm just asking my friend something over here!" his friend argues. "sooo?" "um..." "'y/n," riki speaks up. "you don't need to answer this little bitch" he gives heeseung a dirty look. "━ he's being inconvenient right no-"

"no, it's okay, 'ki," you waved your hand. "he didn't know," heeseung glanced at his friend with widened eyes, bumping his shoulder against his, like he just said: "told you so!" "me and yoko we are close" the boy's eyes almost fell off of his face this time. "but" his happy expression dropped. "not in a good way..." you explain. "not in a good way?" he cocks a brow. "yeah..." "how come?" "i-"

"riki~!" that annoying, feminine, high pitched voice echoed all across the lunch room, walking closer to the table and standing behind riki ━ one of her hand placed on her hip. "oh... yoko..." riki's, sunghoon's and jaeyun's face dropped, except fro heeseung. "hi, heeseung!" she waved just her fingers at him in a flirtatious way. "and- oh? y/n?" yoko cocked a brow at the sight of you sitting across the four handsome boys. "what are you doing here?" "she-" "shush, jaeyun! i am asking her!" jaeyun scoffs at her rudeness. "i thought you guys weren't into that charity thing, but... seems pity wins sometimes,"

"stop, yoko." riki pissed off voice spoke up, looking at her with indifference. "what? can't a pretty girl say an ugly truth?" she shrugged and hearing her say that made you feel small. riki sighed before standing up from his seat and picking up your hand. "let's get out of here," the boys were just about to stand up and follow both of you, but riki gently stopped them. "just me and you." he murmured, noticing your vulnerability increasing.

all of the sudden, when you were just about to walk away with riki, yoko began to clap her hands ━ loudly ━ and laugh like she just watched an comedy movie. "don't make me laugh, riki!" yoko's eyes were burning the japanese's boy eyes. she took a step closer to him and whispered for the two of you to hear: "is she my replacement?" she laughed out loud again and at that point, everyone present in the room had their eyes on the three of you, internally fighting. yoko turned, taking a few step forward before dropping her head down ;and turn back with her head cocked to the side. "let's just-" riki tries to speak, but gets interrupted by you ━ pulling his hand to stay.

"i am sorry, y/n," she speaks seriously. "i am sorry, riki; and i am sorry to everyone in this room, but," in a creepy, yet, discreet way he picks up a pen she always kept on the little pocket sewn on her shirt. "there is no room for a replacement here." out of nowhere she screams and starts to chase both of you with a pen but yoko was quickly stopped by jaeyun and sunghoon, while heeseung went to call someone to calm her down.

meanwhile, you and riki ran to the terrace: not just because of yoko but to relax together. "SHIT, Y/N, WHY DID YOU HELD US THERE?!" your crush snaps at you once both of you reached the parapet and took a deep breath. "i-i... we would be fine! it was just a pen-" "JUST A PEN?!" he scoffs. "that shit can kill you if it hits a fucking vital point!" you sigh, way too overwhelmed to deal with his shouting and complains.

"yoko is crazy, you should've known better than anyone!" "i'm sorry..." you murmur, avoiding his angry glance at you. "that shit scared the fuck out of me!" "sorry... i am sorry! sorry!" you snap, falling onto the harsh ground made of hard concrete. noticing your sudden change, riki immediately falls onto the ground with you.

"oh shit, i'm sorry... sorry, y/n, i-i" he exhales. "i got nervous that's all-" "DO YOU THINK I DIDN'T GET NERVOUS TOO?!" you yell, frustrated. "no one has ever understood me! never..." your voice weakens and riki felt guilt flooding his heart. regret hitting his chest a billion times non-stop. "i am sorry. fuck, i'm sorry i hurt you..." "why does people apologise without meaning it?" you glance at him with an exasperated frown. "i mean it! i am not 'people'," he says. "trust me, y/n, i am truly sorry." he emphasises. "fuck it, i can't handle seeing you cry, come here," he embraces you and pulls you closer ━ your face snuggled onto his chest while your body remains half laid.

he holds your face with care and rubs his thumb against your shaky shoulder from small sobs. you start to wonder why he is being so gentle with you. like, one day he didn't even know you existed or looked in your eyes, and in the next day he is reciprocating.

noticing your silence, riki questions: "over thinking?" his voice hit you all of a sudden, making you slightly jump. "no, just-" you sigh. "yeah... how did you know...?" you let out a small chuckle. "you stop blinking when you start your trance." riki pinches your nose and you scrunch it, rejecting his action.

"what were you thinking about?" "mhm... us." "us?" "yes, us," "and 'us' is good or bad?" you feel his long fingered hands play with your hair. "i am not sure..." you pout. "wanna share?" "it's just that-" you kiss your teeth and fidgets with your fingers, conflicting with your own thoughts. "why are you being so gentle with me, riki?" you adjust your posture and look up at him. "all of the sudden?" "i mean," you sit up, interrupting your hair from being caressed. "you were the one treating me some type of way all of the sudden." you argue.

riki thinks and then shrugs. "i am not sure what this is supposed to me-" "what i mean is that: one day you don't even look at me and the other day we are literally cuddling on the ground!" riki and you became silent.

"i have never ignored you if that's what you mean," "eh?" you frown, scoffing as you were mocking his lie. "you're funny, riki; very funny..." you roll your eyes, avoiding his eyes. the japanese boy sits closer to you, pulling your face to meet your eyes with his. "first of all," he looks away from you after making sure you were paying attention to him. "i have looked at you a few- no, lots of times, but, you were too busy taking notes on that stupid notebook of yours." he chuckles. "also, i haven't seen you at parties so it was difficult to talk to you,"

"you could've just talk to me at class..." you murmur. "i tried! but every single time i tried to develop a deep conversation with you, you were always giving me short and dry answers! i thought you didn't like me!" "who said i like you?!" "do you hate me?" you hummed, like you were thinking about it, clearly teasing him. "you do?!" he made an angry face, speaking between clutched teeth. "okay, okay! yeah- i mean, no!" "you!" you stood up and began to run from riki while he chased you across the whole terrace.

"my ankle hurt, wait!" he complains, whining while holding his ankle. you stop for a second to look back at him, however, knowing his playful personality, you didn't believe him. "stop being a cry baby!" noticing he wasn't laughing a little bit but moaning in pain instead, you walk closer to him. "are you really hurt...?" "it really hurts..." when you were just about to gently place your hand on his shoulder, your action was interrupted by his hand holding yours. "just kidding!" and he holds you into a tight embrace. "let me go!" "lemme see... no, i won't!" "let me-"

"what is that?" you frown, confused. "mhm? what?" you began to look around, trying to find something. "that," he nods at the ground once you glanced back at him. your letter. the letter you wrote earlier on the ground in front of your crush, quite literally revealing it was you; who wrote those previous letters. you sigh trying to get an excuse. "what? a piece of paper?" "isn't that fancy envelope i saw that day?" he reefers to that day in which you bumped onto him. "uh... i don't think so..." you shrug, trying to act nonchalant.

riki free you just to pick up the letter from the ground, ignoring your reply. "strange, isn't it like these envelopes are seeking us?" he drops his head to the side, holding the letter. "should i open it?" your eyes widen discreetly. "no!" noticing your exaltation, riki frowns. "why is that?" "because... because what if it is something important?! like a secret or a..." you try to think, tensing your shoulders as you did so. "love letter...?" you shrug, relaxing your shoulders once riki's chuckle reaches your earbuds.

"so... i can't read it then because it can be an love letter?" your crush raises his brows. "um... yeah?" you shrug once again, trying to convince him to leave it alone. "okay," he pouts his lips, handing you the letter. "so, i won't read it," he surrenders himself, but then crosses his arms like an bad boy. "but you will; read it for me." riki sits on the ground, his eyes not leaving you. "we should get back to-" "no, you'll read it for me," he keeps a dead serious face. "now."

he notices how nervous you were looking. the way your fingers were clutching to the paper, slightly crumpling the harsh paper used to craft that beautiful envelope. "y/n," riki's voice wakes you up from your trance. "read it, please?" he kindly asks you this time, making you feel less intimidated. "o-okay..." you peel the small piece of tape you have glued just yesterday, hoping it was your crush ━ poor past y/n. and then, you open the letter and slips the letter out of the envelope, resting the letter above it. you unfold the folded paper and cleans your throat before reading it.

you did a quick read to the letter and remembered that you have mentioned his name many times, so you had to make up something up before reading the first paragraph.

❝ 𝒟ear, Mr. Kim,

I love your laugh. It's like music that heals the soul and guides me to you. I love how kind and playful you can be, it makes me wonder if I will ever be able to make you as happy as you make me. I know I will never be enough, so just read my words of love. I don't need your touch if it's not well deserved ━ ironic for wanting you completely. I like to use poetry as my main source of writing, because I know you don't understand much about literature ━ much less understand my feelings. Not because they are complex, but because they are too distant to ever be discovered by you. All of this may sound painful, and no matter how painful it is, I will be able to survive as long as I can see your smile.

The thought of having you in my life feels so right, like heaven and angels. But, when I remember of my surroundings and situation, feels like dreams not yet dreamed of, printed poetry, handwritten newspapers, silent parrots and talkative owners ━ in other words: one in a billion chance to be compatible.

However, remember me. Don't ever leave me. You don't have me, but it doesn't mean I can't have you, right?

𝒜nonimously in love with you.❞

"wow..." riki began to clap with star eyes looking at you. "so what you just read is a love letter to our... gym teacher?!" he stands up to analyse the letter, but you quickly avoid him from seeing his name written. "hey! i told you you can't read it!" "okay, okay..." he sighs. "do you really want to go back to class?" "i guess," you shrug, keeping the letter inside the pocket of your wool jacket. "wait! no, we won't! look at the sunset!"

"WHERE WERE YOU GUYS?! KISSING?" heeseung asks and sunghoon bumps his shoulders against his, disapproving his question. "yeah, we were," riki says. "wait, WHAT?!" sunghoon suddenly shouts. "yeah, WHAT?!" jaeyun is the next one to shout. "i told you two!" heeseung mock his friends dropped jaw. "give me my $50's, jaeyun!"

"you and jaeyun seriously made a deal if we had kissed?" "of course!" heeseung replied as it was obvious, taking the $50 from jaeyun's hand. "okay, heeseung give it back to him, no lips were touched," riki shakes his head. "HA!" sunghoon mocks his friends with a loud chuckle, making you giggle. "aw man... i just wanted $50 dollars..." "no money for you, idiot!"

A FEW WEEKS HAVE PASSED by. you and riki became even closer and you might admit you fell even more in love with him. if you had a crush on him back then, now you have a whole fantasy of your future with him. talking about relationships, by getting closer to your secret lover, you also got closer to his friends. if you think this doesn't means shit, oh, it does! after heeseung learned about yoko's shitty personality, he dumped her immediately, feeling an extreme sense of empathy for you ━ not in a romantic way.

also, thankfully, somehow, that day yoko freaked out chasing you and riki with a pen was recorded and leaked. with that being said, she probably got embarrassed and wasn't attending school anymore. another important information is that, by getting closer to your crush, you also got closer to his friends. if you think this doesn't means shit, oh, it does! after heeseung learned about yoko's shitty personality, he dumped her immediately, feeling an extreme sense of empathy for you ━ not in a romantic way.

now, you were at your room texting riki about what you had just ate as a midnight snack. then, you sat on your desk to get some work done for the next week. however, a hard object hit your window and your heart was saying something like: it's riki, it's riki, it's riki; but your mind was saying something like: it's nothing, it's nothing, it's nothing.

however, when the object hit your window again, so you opened the curtains and then your window, now confirming: it is definitely riki. "why didn't you answered me right away?" you sighed. "ki, it's literally 3 am in a saturday! and i am a woman, i can't just open my window in the middle of the night." "fair enough," he shrugs, agreeing.

when riki was just about to shout again, you stopped him, gesturing a stop sign with your hand, making him wait. you picked your phone up and pointed to it, mouthing: phone! text! ━ in which he nodded, gesturing an 'okay' with his fingers and then picking up his phone.

he texted: 'wanna sneak out?' ━ you shook your head in response, looking at him from your window. he snorted, frustrated. and then nodded to you ━ your phone. 'can i come in, then? i want to see you...' ━ returning your sight to the japanese pouty boy. you sighed, biting onto your bottom lip before nodding and closing your window.

you were just about to open your front door when another text from riki popped: 'why did you close the window? let me in! i am prepared!!!!!' ━ riki, you-

you sprinted to your bedroom and opened your window, leaving your door opened, worried. he knocked on the glass a few times after seeing you, patiently waiting while holding onto a random ladder. "did you really just brought a whole fucking ladder?" you question him with shock. "of course not," he scoffs like it was obvious. "so... whose ladder is that?" you squint your eyes. "neighbour." "riki!"

"whaaat now?" he whines, laying on your bed, occupying the whole bed. "you and your huge ass body just occupying my whole fucking bed, scooch over!" he groans before rolling onto the other side. "you're annoying..." he murmurs with a muffled voice. "but you love me," "but i love you, you're right," he lays on his back, glancing at you. "that's why you are annoying~" he whines, rolling onto his side, pulling you closer to him by your waist.

"y/n are you awa-AAAAH! WHAT THE FUCK IS HE DOING HERE?!" your sister walks in your room while riki tried to pull you closer to you, attempting to cuddle with you. "AND WHY-" she closes her eyes shut, trying to wake up from that fever dream.

you stand up from the bed and takes her hand, pulling her to talk outside of your room. you close the door behind you while your sister's eyes stayed shut. "tell me, god, am i dreaming? what the fuck did i just saw?" you sigh, squinting your eyes at your sister's childish like behaviour.

"open your fucking eyes, y/s/n," "is this the devil? is this god? i don't even know anymore! i'm going crazy..." "open your eyes!" you whispered-yell, trying to avoid waking up your grandma ━ even though she is a deep sleeper. "okay, sorry," she finally opens her eyes and stays quiet.

"what were you going to ask me?" "so we are going to ignore what just happened? what i just walked in?" "why do you got to be so nosy?" you ask her and she looked at you, offended. "why? you're pissed off because i happened to walk in while you were trying to kiss the love of your li-" "SHUT!" you cover her mouth. "he's going to hear!"

she is strong enough to take your hand off her mouth, whispering: "i'll leave you alone with him." she smirks and then winks at you, going back to her room. you rolled your eyes once she reached the door of her bedroom and sent you a flying kiss, mouthing: "use protection!"

you went back to your room and closed the door, locking it. you slowly turned around, embarrassed. "good job, y/n! forgetting about the first rule of the hundred of 'sneaking in' rules! 'inside version' because you live here, so-" "shut up," you sigh, laying on bed with him. "yes, ma'am." a minute of silence formed, but riki quickly broke it. "can we cuddle now? i am dying to- uh... cuddle, yeah..." you strange his behaviour but, obviously, agrees.

enjoying being the little spoon, you remained completely silent, loving the way his wide arms were around you and his hands rubbing your back. the warmth exhaling from his covered chest felt like you had the world keeping you close.

"y/n?" his voice echoes and you hum. "mhm?" "do you like... writing letters?"

263 notes · View notes

rikstellar · 23 days ago

Text

the same heart ☆ n.r

synopsis: navigating the beginning of your first relationship is proving to be most heartwarming, including the list of firsts - particularly, your first kiss. genre: established relationship au, slight angst, fluff. pairing: boyfriend!riki x fem!reader word count: 4.2k rating: pg-15. warnings: swearing, use of petnames (baby, pretty, pretty girl, babe, etc.), that's about it LOL. listen to: those eyes - new west ; yellow - coldplay ; heart - dawn ; sparks - coldplay ; i adore you, dear - dwen author's note: as per usual, we've got another birthday fic! figuring out what to write took me a few moments but i will always pull through. happiest birthday to our riki! i love you, little guy.

Things between you and your boyfriend were slightly awkward.

Granted, you'd only made it official a week and a half ago – but something about the way he didn't hold your hand made you feel a bit confused. The way he never got too close if you were over at his dorm for a movie night, the way he'd hug you loosely as he dropped you off at home after a date or just dropping by to check on you. The way he'd gently reject your advances at public affection, opting to smile apologetically as he ruffled your hair.

The way he hadn't kissed you yet, despite the amount of time you spent together, the many dates and what he thought were his unnoticed longing glances.

You were truly in no rush. You knew that this was something new for the two of you, the first relationship either of you had ever been in. You met a year ago, at a record shop shortly after your eighteenth birthday. He may not be into prolonged skinship or public displays of affection, but he flirted with you like it was nobody's business. He poked fun at you as you blushed at his compliments, eager to make you smile and eventually, you allowed his charms to make him a little spot in your heart.

So despite not being outwardly physically affectionate, he had a way with words that made your cheeks hot and your chest flutter. He never stopped flirting with you, even during the many dates he took you on – even with the onlookers, he never minded. Murmurs of pretty girl and gorgeous as he directed your attention to things or simply didn't feel like calling your name, careful maneuvers through crowded areas with his hand ghosting over the small of your back, playful pinches to your cheeks.

Your first date had been very different than you'd expected – the two of you simply perused a farmers market that was a few miles out of the city. He bought you flowers and lunch, and the two of you got to know each other better over stalls upon stalls of jewelry and fine linens, fresh fruit and chopped vegetables ready to be juiced. You'd fully expected him to want to kiss you as he dropped you home, but he only blushed as you made the move. His fingers pinched to your cheek as he stopped you with a soft shake of his head.

"Next time, promise." Next time lingered with a bit of tension, that date being the Christmas light show that came to town every year. He bought the tickets, he picked you up. The two of you opted to share a hot cocoa after seeing how big the cups were, and your lipstick stained his lips a muted berry color. You took pictures at a few trees, and this was the date that soft-launched your flourishing relationship on social media – him posting a picture of you staring at a pink tree with white lights and you posting a picture of a Polaroid a vendor took of you for a dollar.

But still, even after several perfect opportunities, there was no kiss. He dropped you off at home, letting you know he had a good time and wanted to see you again before the year ended. You nodded, and lingered at your door with a pointed look. He bid you a goodnight and you disappointedly said it back, slinking into your house with a dejected look.

The next date was unfortunately after the New Year – you'd gotten sick and he felt awful, stopping by several times to bring you soup and cold medicine. Your mother met him then, and told you that he'd make a great boyfriend – you'd huffed in response, muttering that he didn't even want to hold your hand. Your mother sighed and told you those things took time, to be patient, to be understanding. You slept on it, knowing it would be worth the wait but still feeling a bit undesired.

The date after your cold subsided was one inside – bowling and arcade games. You beat him by a landslide, your last roll a perfect strike. He complained the entire time the two of you wandered around the rest of the arcade, and only stopped when you pulled him into a photo booth. Your poses were of a shy couple just learning to be together, and you were honest with him – you wanted to kiss in one of the pictures. He looked hesitant, offering an alternative almost immediately and you reluctantly agreed – the last photo being of him kissing your cheek gently. He dropped you off that night with another press of his lips to your warmed skin, and a warm apology that you accepted quietly.

You felt your heart warm when you saw the photo strip hanging from his rearview mirror the next time he picked you up, a hole punched in the white border and a soft pink string looped through it. So much so, that you let it go. You stopped asking, but he continued to press gentle kisses to your cheeks and forehead throughout the rest of your dates, accumulating to almost eighty dates within eleven months – you never went more than four days without seeing him in some way or another.

And yet, despite the flirty words, his touch remained reserved. Through eleven months, he swiped your hair out of your face, he continued to pinch your cheeks between his fingers. He kissed your cheeks occasionally, usually on the drop-off or spontaneously every once in a while. He upgraded slowly to ruffling your hair, tying your shoelaces, zipping up your coat. He was sweet, attentive, coy and he made it known he was deeply interested in you.

It'd been almost a year to the date of meeting when he asked you to be his girlfriend during the first snow of the season. The two of you had snuck out to a park late that night, and he was admiring the way you hung upside down from the monkey bars, before he offered to help you get down. You agreed, asking if he'd be willing to get something warm.

You wound up in a little hole-in-the-wall ramen shop the two of you had gone to during one of your first dates. You recounted it, remembering how you'd burned your tongue on the broth and he'd sprinkled sugar in your mouth, stating he'd seen it somewhere. It hadn't worked but it was funny and you shared a laugh, when he cleared his throat and said he had something serious to tell you.

"Are you okay?" Your worried tone startled him, the way your brows tugged down and your eyes grew filled with concern. He nodded quickly, "I'm fine, I just…sorry, this is hard for me." "It's okay. I'm here." You reached for his hand, but quickly retracted it. He shook his head, reaching for your hands and running his thumbs over your knuckles. "I really, really like you, Y/N." Oh no, you'd thought. He's going to dump me and we're not even together.

The very thought had made your eyes well with tears, his silence deafening as he stared at your hands. You wore a ring he'd bought you at a fair on one of your dates, the dragon egg-like stone shimmering in the low light of the shop when he finally looked back at you. His eyes widened at the sight of you blinking back tears, his hands quickly moving to cradle your face.

"Oh baby, don't cry. What's wrong?" His concern only made your heart sink deeper, the pet name he'd never used before flying over your head as your fingers circled his wrists, the metal of his watch cold against your fingertips.

"If you're going to dump me–"

"Dump you? No, no, pretty. I wanted to make this official, I just…I'm sorry, I'm so bad at this–"

Your cheeks heated beneath his fingers, your tears blurring your vision as you looked at him. You blinked, a few tears sliding down your face as he tried to wipe them away.

"You what?" He sighed, his cheeks coated in a bright pink blush as he cleared his throat. "I…want to be your boyfriend." You only looked at him, before letting out a shaky breath. "You are bad at this."

"Is that a no?" He asked meekly, and you swatted at his arms. "You're so bad at asking things! I'm crying, Riki!" "Baby, I'm sorry!" He laughed softly, holding your wrists in his hands. "I didn't know how to ask and I was too nervous to ask Jake. He's too involved in our relationship as it is." Riki rolled his eyes as you registered the pet name, your lip jutting out in a pout as you whined. "You called me baby."

His eyes widened, then narrowed as he thought about it. "Haven't I been calling you that? I swear I have."

You scoffed, "Must've been one of your other girls." He smirked, "Which one?" He didn't manage to dodge the soft smack you landed on his thigh, a pout on his lips as he rubbed his leg. "You want to be my boyfriend but you talk about other girls, we both know I'm the only one hitting your line up." "All the more reason to let me be your boyfriend! C'mon, pretty! I'll be the best boyfriend ever, I'll even buy your mom flowers like I did that one time when she was sick!" He folded his hands together as if praying, making you snort as you wiped your face of stray tears. "What took you so long?" He huffed, "I just wanted to make sure you wanted to be with me. Every time I see you I feel like I'm about to throw up." "Riki…did you just call me ugly?" You chided, and his eyes widened as he shook his head quickly, his hands cradling your face. "What? No! You're the prettiest girl ever, please–" "Calm down, you big baby. I guess you can be my boyfriend." You rolled your eyes, and his eyes widened as he leaned closer into your space. "Really?!" "Yes, really."

The night ended with him walking you home, practically vibrating out of his own skin as he held your hand tightly the entire way. It'd given you a lot of comfort, but you didn't mention it as he dropped you off at home, your mother waiting on the porch with her robe on and an angry look on her face. She ushered you inside and you were grounded for three days before she decided it wasn't the worst thing in the world – specifically when Riki appeared with the biggest bouquet of flowers you'd ever seen and the softest pout known to man.

She allowed him in and you had a movie night in your bedroom, before he promptly kissed your cheek goodnight and went home.

Fast forward a few days, the Christmas light show was back in town for the year. Riki bought the tickets, picked you up and you shared yet another comically large cup of hot cocoa, your lipstick a wine red this year. He held your hand gently, his thumb rubbing gentle circles into your skin as he held you close to him. You scoured the different figurines this year, your eyes caught by the enormous lovebird display – two swans made by champagne-colored lights and formed into a heart by their necks.

You lingered a bit at it, letting go of Riki's hand to get a closer look. He took a few photos discreetly, before eventually joining your side and moving your hair carefully out of your face. "Something on your mind, baby?" He asked gently, tucking his hands into his coat pockets. You shook your head, smiling at him softly. "It's silly." "Mmh, nothing is silly if you're thinking so hard about it. Talk to me, pretty." He taps your temple, and you shrug. "It's okay. I'm in no rush." "No rush to what? Stop being so cryptic, you know it freaks me out. It's like you're plotting something." He pinches your cheek between his knuckles softly, and you roll your eyes as you swat his hand away. "You know, it's been almost a year since we met and you still haven't kissed me?" He doesn't meet your eyes as you say this, opting to look at the swans in front of you. "Mmh." He nods, before looking at his feet, nudging a bit of gravel with the tip of his boot. You calmly loop your arm with his, sliding your hand into his pocket and intertwining your fingers. He glances down at you, a soft blush on his cheeks that you want to attribute to the biting wind. "Why?" You ask, and he tongues his cheek before shrugging. "It makes me nervous, I guess." "Nervous?" Your voice is an echo of him, albeit slightly concerned. "Yeah. You make me nervous. I literally almost threw up the night I asked you to be my girlfriend." "Correction, you asked to be my boyfriend." You say pointedly, and he scoffs. "Me being your boyfriend makes you my girlfriend." "You sure like calling me your girlfriend, huh?" Your arm nudges him, and he huffs in embarrassment, looking away. You lean your head on his shoulder, staring back up at the swans. A cliché example of lovers, you know, but a lovely one nonetheless.

"You know I don't mind waiting, right? I'm sure we will eventually." You murmur, and he sighs.

"I know, I'm sorry. I want to, I promise. I just…"

You glance at him, the way he chews on his lip anxiously as he trails off makes your stomach sink.

"I'm sorry for bringing it up, we don't have to keep talking about this." You pat his chest, an apologetic smile on your lips as he meets your eyes. They're serious, a look you'd only ever seen on him a few times. You drop your hand from his chest and he moves the two of you down the path.

You see a few more displays, taking pictures within all the decorated trees and once more paying the same vendor from last year for a Polaroid. You both smile and it goes into Riki's wallet. "For safekeeping," He'd whispered into your hair as he placed a soft kiss on the crown of your head.

The two of you wandered out of the show hand in hand, and Riki offers to stop somewhere for dinner before he drops you off at home. It's routine, the way he opens your door, the way he buckles your seatbelt in for you. The way he hands you the aux and you play jazz fusion, Tutu by Miles Davis filling his car the way it always has after a date.

"I've never kissed anyone." He murmurs as you reach the first stoplight out of the show. His fingers are wrapped loosely around the bottom of the steering wheel, and you nod, looking at him. "Me either, it's no big deal. We'll learn, when the time comes." "It's not that I don't want to. You know that, right?" His voice is shaky as he flicks on his turn signal, and you nod again. "I'm sure you want to, but there really is no rush. I'm not the only one who's waiting, you know? We went on eighty dates, Riki. We've got all the time in the world." Your fingers toy with his earrings, before you card your fingers through his hair. "It's just you and me, yeah?" "Yeah." He's quiet, and you know it's weighing on him as the two of you make the drive to your favorite diner. The two of you share an appetizer, his head resting on your shoulder as you talk about your new part-time job and how you'd miss popping by the record store to bring him lunch. He listened intently as the food came and went, only responding softly to any questions you asked him.

It weighed on you when he was quiet on the way to your house, and how softly he bid his goodbye with a kiss to your hairline and his arm around your shoulders. "Sleep well, baby." Your heart felt heavy in your chest as the next few days went by and he seemed distant. You both planned another date for the arcade, and agreed he'd pick you up after his shift at the record store. You dressed casually, one of his old t-shirts and a pair of black jeans. You wore heavy boots to brace the cold, and nearly tripped over your own feet when he knocked on your front door

"Coming!" You called, your mother poking her head out of the kitchen upon hearing you yell. "Leaving already, honey?" "Yeah, date night." You reply sheepishly, unlocking the door with fumbling fingers and your coat half off your body, and opening it to reveal your boyfriend holding yet another bouquet of flowers. Your eyes were wide, as you stopped pulling your coat on. "For my mom?" You nod, and he shakes his head.

"For you. I'm sorry for being distant these past few days, it wasn't my intention and I'm sure it made you feel some type of way. I should've spoken to you about my feelings, and I know flowers aren't nearly enough but I hope it's a start?" He said meekly, and you scoff out a soft laugh, nodding as you take the flowers.

"Riki, it's okay. I know it's a sensitive topic." You smile apologetically, taking the flowers and turning on your heel. "I'll put these in my room, I'll be right back. Come inside." He doesn't say anything, just gives you a curt nod as he steps inside your house, closing the door and greeting your mother warmly. You quickly walk up the stairs, taking the cellophane off the flowers and setting them carefully in the vase you had sitting on your dresser from past bouquets he'd given you. You'll fill them with water later, you think, as you barrel back down the stairs. You see your boyfriend deep in thought as he and your mother speak, and you don't eavesdrop as you clear your throat. She stops talking, before giving him a warm smile and bidding you a good date night. You thank her, tell her you'll be home before the streetlights come on and a quick love you, bye!

"Let's zip this up, don't want you to get sick." Riki doesn't let you off your porch without zipping your coat up, grabbing your hand as you both step off. "Do you think you'll kick my ass bowling this time, too?" "I'm sure of it." You grin.

And you do. You take the lead within three frames, your boyfriend clearly distracted as he watches you roll strike after strike. You play three full games, his pout only getting deeper and deeper as you win each one.

"This is so unfair, how'd you get so good anyway?" He pouts as he slides a few coins into an air hockey table, and you shrug as you score the first point within the first few seconds. He gapes, and you just laugh as he, once more, loses this game.

The night goes smoothly, both of you scoring your wins and cutting your losses sorely. You both make faces at each other the moment one of you loses, but all is fair in love and arcade games when the night ends in the photo booth, your legs across your boyfriend's lap as he rests his hands on your knees. You fix his hair out of his eyes, the shaggy bangs tickling the bridge of his nose as you coo.

"Okay, how does my hair look? Frizzy?" You run your fingers through it and he shakes his head, watching as you dig your lipstick out of your purse. It's another deep red, and he feels his stomach fill with butterflies as you wipe the corners of your lips. "You look pretty." "You always say that." You roll your eyes, feeling your cheeks heat as he smiles, softly flicking your nose. "You always look pretty, baby." You huff, facing the camera and tucking your hair behind your ears before clearing your throat. "Smile first, right? That's what we did last time." "Yeah, that's cool. We can do….the cat thing? For the second one." He holds his fingers in two upside-down Vs over his hair, and you laugh, nodding. "Sure, sure." The camera begins to count down as you press the red button, and you smile as it flashes the two of you. You both scrunch your noses, blinking rapidly as you maneuver your hands to fit in the frame for the fifteen seconds it gives you. "Smile, babe." You say through gritted teeth, and he does just that as the camera flashes again.

"Shit, what now? Uh…" "Kiss me." He whispers, and you nearly snap your neck to face him. "What?!" "Kiss me." His hand moves to cradle your cheek, and you grab his wrist, hearing the camera start counting from ten. "Are you sure? We don't have to–" "I've wanted to kiss you for a year. Kiss. Me." He insists, and your heads both turn as the camera boasts five…four…

"I'm nervous." You admit, and he nods. "Me too. Just trust me, baby." Three…two…

You both breathe in shakily, before softly connecting your lips as the camera flashes brightly. You don't move away as the camera begins its last countdown from fifteen, instead you lean your forehead against his. His eyes peer up at you, and you feel a giggle erupt through you as you press your lips all over his face in chaste kisses. His cheeks grow hot under your lips, and the camera only continues it's countdown as your lipstick stamps all over his rosy cheeks.

"Smile for the camera." He mumbles, pressing his lips to your cheek as the camera reaches two, and smiles bashfully as it flashes one last time. The two of you watch the two strips pop out, and you reach for them. You hand him his, your other hand softly stroking his cheek as you stare at the pictures.

"We're cute." You nod, and he only smiles sheepishly. "Yeah. Was it okay? The kiss, I mean?" "Yeah. And we have it now, forever." You smile as you tuck the photo strip into your purse. He nods, clearing his throat, hoping you don't feel the way his heart skips a beat at the sound of you subconsciously admitting to a forever with him. "So…dinner? On me." "Shit, you have lipstick all over your face." You wince, and he shrugs. "Call it a perk, I guess. You can kiss me again to make up for it." "You're not slick, you know." You roll your eyes as the two of you exit the booth, and you thumb at the lipstick on his nose, only successful in smearing it. "I'm serious, I'm only taking payment in kisses now. So…pay up." "Shut up." You press your lips to his chastely, before shoving your purse over your shoulder as he grabs your hand, making you face him as you tug on your coat. "Seriously, we can stop by a pharmacy and get something to wipe your face." "No, these are my battle scars. I fought relentlessly against my urge to kiss you for a year, I deserve to celebrate this win." He scoffs as he zips up your coat, and you only scoff out a laugh, slipping your fingers in his. "Whatever, loser." And you don't say anything else about it. Not when your waitress stares at him a little too hard as she takes your order, not when your mother gapes at him and you as he drops you off, and certainly not when he kisses you goodnight, a murmur of I'll see you later against your lips before you slip inside your house.

You flop onto your bed after your shower, assuming your boyfriend has long been asleep as you reminisce about the events of the day. Your stomach fills with butterflies as you cover your face with a squeal, reaching for your phone – only to see a notification that your boyfriend posted something on his Instagram.

You open it, seeing a slideshow of photos – one of you in front of the champagne swans at the light show earlier that month, one of the new photo strip hanging alongside the old one in his car, and one of you at the beginning of the entire ordeal. You're sitting at the farmers market, your eyes casted away from the camera as you blushed, likely at something Riki had said. You don't remember him taking that photo, but it doesn't matter as you listen carefully to the song he'd put over it – the melodic sound of Heart by Dawn.

You glance at the caption with a thundering heart, your eyes welling with tears as you read. @/nishimura05: two sides of the same heart, and mine that only beats for you. your patience is beyond me, but i am eternally grateful for the man you make me want to become. thinking of you, always.

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