#daffodils.txt

[triptychexe]

◌ genre: romance, fluff ◌ pairing: asa x yen ◌ word count: 0.6k ◌ warnings: none!

WHITE DAY, 2015

White Day wasn’t looking so great for Asahiko. Daehyun dragged him and Injung to the florist early in the morning so he could get Soyeon some white roses. Asahiko thought it was a sweet gesture, but did the two other boys really have to come along?

When he voiced his complaint, Daehyun arched an eyebrow. “I thought you’d want to come pick out something for Micha.” He said bluntly, shocking Asahiko.

“What? Why would I do that?” He said quickly.

“I mean, I thought you two were like… A thing.” Daehyun shrugged, looking over the roses that stretched out in front of them.

“We’re not a thing. We’re just friends.” Asahiko said in an annoyed voice. How many times did he have to repeat himself?

“Friends don’t leave parties together and then hang out in a bedroom alone for three hours.” Injung shaded, his fingers running over the petals of flowers. Asahiko rolled his eyes. 

“Not this again.” He groaned. When the HBH boys came back to the dorm on Valentine’s Day, they saw Micha and Asahiko sitting under a blanket together watching a movie on Asahiko’s bed. Ever since then, he’s been bullied by his friends and teased constantly.

“Anyways, I’m getting Eunha white flowers for White Day, since she gave me chocolates on Valentine’s Day.” Injung said, glancing over at Asahiko. “Friends can give other friends stuff on White Day. Maybe Micha would like a little gift?” 

Asahiko rolled his eyes for the nth time. Even though he fronted as opposed to the idea in front of his friends, he thought it would be nice to give Micha something. He let his eyes wander until they landed on a specific flower.

He tried to look indifferent as he walked over to the white daffodils and picked up a couple of them.

“Hey, Soyeon, Happy White Day.” Daehyun said, coming over to Soyeon and the others while they were leaving the building that night. He held the small bouquet of white flowers in front of Soyeon, who looked a little uncomfortable with the gift, but she accepted it anyways.

Asahiko felt the small collection of white daffodils in his bag grow ten times heavier. Next to him, Micha was gushing over the present.

“How can Daehyun and Soyeon deny dating rumors when they’re out here being the cutest pair at HBH?” she said quietly as they left the building and made their way to the subway. 

“Yeah, but something tells me Soyeon isn’t very interested in him.” Asahiko said, watching the other two walk side by side awkwardly about twenty feet in front of them. Micha huffed out a laugh as they approached the subway station.

 Asahiko was getting anxious about giving Micha her gift. He should have done it that afternoon during lunch, but that’s when Injung gave Eunha her gift, and he didn’t feel like stealing their thunder. There hasn’t been a ‘right’ moment yet, and they haven’t been alone.

It was only when they were about three stops from where they had to get off of the subway did Asahiko open his bag and hand Micha the crumpled up white daffodils and half-crushed cookies that he got her earlier. 

“I should have given you these earlier, but there didn’t seem to be a right time. I’m sorry. Happy White Day.” Asahiko was slightly embarrassed by the state of his gift. Micha couldn’t help but laugh as she accepted the gift.

“I mean, it’s a mess, but it’s from you. Therefore, I love it.” She grinned. “Thank you.” 

[triptychexe]

◌ genre: romance, fluff ◌ pairing: asa x yen ◌ word count: 0.6k ◌ warnings: none

JUNE 20TH, 2015

With Tromme practicing harder than ever and S.O.T’s debut being just around the corner, their time together was extremely limited. Sometimes they saw each other for lunch breaks, but most of the time they both skipped lunch to focus on practicing. Their texts became sporadic and irregular. It was almost like their whole friendship was taking a hiatus.

This was good and bad for Asahiko. Bad, because he needed a friend during this stressful time in his life and he missed Micha everyday he didn’t get to see her. Good, because he was taking this time to focus on his career and not the crush that he was slowly developing on Micha.

Practice was a great way to ignore these feelings. During rehearsal he only cared about getting the footwork down and perfecting his rap flow. His mind was taken over by music and performing, there was no room for not-so-friendly thoughts about his friend.

But still, every night when he got back to his dorm and looked up at the ceiling, he couldn’t help but wish Micha was there too, resting her head on his chest like she did that one night.

He was thinking of that day when his phone buzzed beside his bed.

MICHA: are you up? [sent: 2:09 am]

ASAHIKO: yeah, you good? [sent: 2:10am]

MICHA: yeah, I just can’t sleep. [sent: 2:10am]

MICHA: and I miss you. [sent: 2:10am]

ASAHIKO: I miss you too. [sent: 2:11am]

MICHA: can I call you? [sent: 2:13am]

ASAHIKO: yeah, of course. [sent: 2:14am]

Micha’s caller ID popped up on his home screen. He dragged his thumb across the call button and put the phone up to his ear.

“Hey.” He said, sitting up a little straighter.

“Hey.” Micha responded, her voice sounded drained.

“You can’t sleep?” Asahiko asked, concerned. “Yeah.” Micha said, sounding a little embarrassed. “I’m just stressed lately and I find your voice very soothing.”

Asahiko’s heart thumped in his chest at those words. “Do you want me to like, do ASMR or something?” Asahiko chuckled, trying to not sound flustered. 

“No, silly.” Micha chuckled herself. “Just talk about anything. Like… how was your day? I want a detailed run through of what you did.” Asahiko could hear her smile through the phone, but he ignored it and shifted himself so he was laying on his back again and staring at the ceiling.

“Well, I woke up at around five this morning to go to practice…” He said softly. He recited his day to Micha, who hummed every now and then as a response. After a while, he humming started to become more and more infrequent. Eventually he heard that light snoring that he found so adorable. A lazy smile spread across his face.

“Good night, Micha.” He whispered before beginning to hang up.

“Wait.” Her sleepy voice said through the phone. “Thank you.”

Asahiko grinned a little wider. “You’re welcome.” “I love you. Seriously. You’re such a good friend” she said, her voice lulled, clearly half asleep. The combination of ‘I love you’ and ‘friend’ together sent an ache through Asahiko’s stomach. 

“No problem. Go to sleep.” He said softly before hanging up. He dropped his phone on the nightstand beside his bed and stared up at the ceiling, replaying ‘I love you’ in his head until sleep consumed him.

[triptychexe]

◌ genre: fluff ◌ pairing: asa x yen ◌ word count: 0.3k ◌ warnings: none!

JANUARY 26TH, 2015

The meeting ended and the trainees filed out in a mixture of excitement and mild confusion. The concept of the new debut group, Triptych, was explained in detail, but the subunit concept still threw off some of the trainees. The information that B.A.D would be one of these subunits for the super group made some eyebrows shoot up. It was all very unexpected, but based off how much detail had gone into the plan, this had been thought out for some time now by the company. 

Asahiko found Micha in the wave of trainees that were now making their way to the locker rooms and pulled her aside.

“Are you okay?” He asked her.

“Huh?” Micha questioned, the smile that was previously on her face was fading. “I mean, this new group concept is kinda stealing your thunder, isn’t it? You’re not going to be just a three membered group now, you’re going to be just one part of a huge group.” Asahiko reasoned. He figured his friend wouldn’t be too pleased about having to share her spotlight with a bunch of other people, but to his surprise she was laughing. “Don’t be silly, this is the best news we could have ever gotten! ” She chuckled, turning around and heading to her locker. Asahiko followed her, unsure if his friend was totally sane right now.

“But like… You worked so hard just to find out you’re in a subunit.” Asahiko said slowly.

“Koko, the debut group is going to have male members.” She grinned, grabbing her bag. Asahiko huffed out a laugh. “They’ll be your groupmates, not your boyfriends, Micha.” “Asahiko… are you seriously not getting what I’m saying? It’s a good thing you’re cute.” Micha teased, closing her locker and grabbing his shoulders, looking him in the eye.

“The new group can have male members. You are a boy.” She said slowly.

Realization crossed over Asahiko’s face. “We could be in a group together.” He realized. Micha nodded, her smile spreading even wider. 

“I gotta go practice.” Asahiko said hastily, grabbing his stuff out of his locker. “We will debut together, Micha! I promise!” He called as he slung his bag out of his locker and slung it over his shoulder.

[triptychexe]

◌ genre: romance ◌ pairing: asa x yen ◌ word count: 0.6k ◌ warnings: none

NEW YEARS EVE, 2014

Micha was finally able to wear what she really wanted at a company party for New Years. She went all out too, because she wanted to make up for the ugly pictures staff took of her, Yerin and Eunha at the Halloween party. No doubt there was going to be pictures taken tonight, and she wanted to look good.

“Damn! Look at the maknae!” Soyeon called out when Micha walked into their shared living room. 

“Wow.” Yerin commented, taking in the younger girl’s outfit. “I wonder how Asahiko will react.” “He won’t react.” Micha rolled her eyes and the older girls chuckled to themselves.

“Alright, well, let's get going, we don’t want to leave Micha’s boyfriend waiting.” Eunha stretched and got up from the couch.

Asahiko was already bored at the New Years party. He knew things would get better once Micha showed up, but right now he was getting a little tired of Chunghee and Injung’s bickering. “I’m telling you, I was in a relationship!” Chunghee flew his hands up in the air in exasperation. “With who then?” Injung questioned, looking unamused. “I can’t say! It’s confidential!” Chunghee said it as if was obvious. “She’s a trainee under SM!” “Right, and I’ve secretly been dating HyunA.” Injung chuckled.

“I’m being serious, bro!”

“Woah.” Changmin spoke up for the first time since the four boys sat down at their table. Asahiko turned around in his seat and had to blink a few times. “Is that…?” Injung squinted. “B.A.D.” Daehyun confirmed, his eyes wide as well.

Micha caught them looking and waved quickly to them, smiling politely before following her group mates to shake hands with the head producer and founder of the company. 

“Bro, you gotta set me up with Micha.” Chunghee’s hand clapped over Asahiko’s shoulder. Daehyun gave Chunghee a death glare and the boy removed his hand slowly. “Uh, that is if there’s nothing going on between you two.” “What? Of course there isn’t.” Asahiko said, snapping his attention away from Micha and her group mates. “Since when are you interested in Micha?” “I mean, she’s always been pretty, so, I guess she’s always been on my radar.” Chunghee said thoughtfully. “Except for when I was in a relationship.” “Dude, you gotta let it go…” Injung rehashed the previous argument, but this time Asahiko really wasn't listening. Did everyone find Micha attractive? He knew she was pretty, but he never really thought much about how other people probably found her pretty too.

 It was all he could think about when the whole company gathered around to watch the ball drop and Micha was standing right next to him. They were standing awfully close, since everyone was gathered around the television, including staff members.

 “FIVE,” 

 Asahiko looked down at Micha.

“FOUR,”

He remembered that one time he kissed her on the couch in the boy’s dorm.

“THREE,” He thought she was pretty when he first met her.

“TWO,” Did everyone think Micha was beautiful too? 

“ONE!” The room exploded with cheers as the ball dropped. People pretended to kiss one another dramatically, others had their arms wrapped around other people. Asahiko was still staring at Micha. When she turned to face him, her smile brought him back down. He copied her smile and hugged her tightly. 

“One more year of friendship!” Micha screamed over the noise.

“Hell yeah!” Asahiko yelled back, but he couldn’t bring himself to say the word “friendship”.

[triptychexe]

genre: fluff, romance pairing: asa x yen word count: 0.6k warnings: none

MARCH 21, 2013

She was hypnotic when she danced. 

Asahiko had never seen anything like it. All of her movements were fluid and connected, molding together like a spoken language instead of a physical action. She looked like she was absorbed in the music and rhythm, and it made it hard to look away. He’s never seen anyone do anything so passionately.

Every day for the past week he got to the studio a little earlier just so he could watch her dance before heading into the practice room next door and starting his own rehearsal. He knew he shouldn’t be wasting time, his first monthly evaluation was just a week away, but watching her dance motivated him to do better in practice. Maybe if he worked hard enough, he could dance as fluidly as the girl in the practice room.

He accidentally kept staring even when the music stopped and her motions ceased. For a split second their eyes met in the mirror. Asahiko’s heart leaped in his rib cage and he backed away from the glass door, silently cursing to himself. He walked as fast as he could to the dance room next door, trying to find refuge. The door, of course, was locked. Just his luck.

“Hey!” He heard a voice call from down the hallway, and the girl who was previously dancing was walking towards him, her fist clenched.

This is it. Asahiko said to himself as the distance between them grew smaller. She’s going to kill me, right here, right now. “You dropped this.” The girl held out her hand, holding his keys in her palm. Asahiko blinked a few times at the girl, his mouth agape. She was a lot prettier up close. Her eyes were a dark chocolate color and her lashes were lush. He was used to seeing attractive people (he looked at one every day in the mirror when he got ready), but for some reason her beauty was different. It was unexpected. “Thank you.” He managed to get out, taking back his keys and sliding them into his backpack.

“Are you the new Japanese trainee?” The girl asked bluntly out of curiosity.

“Yes.” Asahiko said with a small smile. Internally he was cursing at himself for knowing such limited Korean. He wanted to tell her more about himself, but the language barrier was restricting him.

“My name is Micha.” The girl, Micha, said in Japanese, extending her hand. Asahiko took it, his eyebrows shooting up. 

“Do you speak Japanese?” He asked, his hand still shaking Micha’s up and down.

Micha hesitated. “No. Only a little.” The dancer said in an apologetic tone.

“I only know a little Korean. We are even.” Asahiko said with a grin.

“I guess we are.” Micha chuckled. 

“Hey, Asachiko!” Another voice said from down the hallway. Coming towards the two were the boys Asahiko had been practicing with for a couple months now. Even though they were nice guys, they always mispronounced his name, no matter how many times he said it for them. Asahiko realized he was still holding Micha’s hand and released it immediately.

“Hello.” Asahiko greeted his fellow trainees, wondering if they saw anything that just happened between him and Micha. The other two greeted Micha politely before walking into the practice room.

“I have practice,” Asahiko explained, feeling sorry that they had to part so soon.

“No worries. See you around, Asachiko.” Micha said with a shrug before turning on her heels and walking away down the hallway.

Asahiko watched her leave. She didn’t say his name right, but it still rattled in his ears like a mantra. It was the sweetest noise he’s ever heard.

[triptychexe]

◌ genre: romance, mild angst, fluff ◌ pairing: asa x yen ◌ word count: 0.7k ◌ warnings: none!

SEPTEMBER 18TH 2014

Micha hadn’t directly spoken to Asahiko in a whole month. 

They avoided each other at rehearsals and concerts. The tension in the practice room had gotten more intense. The silence between them was deafening. 

Micha desperately wanted to apologize for what she said, but every time she got the opportunity to, she didn’t have the courage to go over and admit to how wrong she was.

The worst part was that Asahiko was right about her. He always seemed to know her better than she knew herself, and she wished she listened to him.

Micha would consider this past month to be a point of major maturity growth. She had her head back on her shoulders. She returned to her humble ways. Ever since she turned herself around, her relationship with the rest of HBHNG got better. They became the people that she spent most of her time with ever since her fallout with Asahiko. They felt like sisters to her now.

 But there are things you can’t tell your sisters that you can tell your best friend. There are things sisters don’t understand, but your best friend always will. There was an Asahiko sized hole in her chest that couldn’t be filled by anyone else.

 School was awful without having Asahiko. Last year, the only thing that got her through the school days were that she got to sit on the subway with Asahiko afterward. Now, she rode to school alone every morning and rode back to the company every alone every afternoon.

 Eventually, Micha had enough of the silence. She was at her breaking point. She needed her best friend back. 

 The only time she saw him these days were at the company, and he always turned his back to her when she came anywhere near him. She deserved it, she’ll admit, but it made her heart ache every time he did it. She knew that she wasn’t going to get anywhere from walking up to Asahiko, so she had to do something indirectly.

 She waited for him by his lockers towards the end of the day. She technically could have left hours ago, but she wanted to see what Asahiko’s reaction would be when he opened his locker.

 Asahiko turned the corner, waving goodbye to Daehyun over his shoulder. Micha slinked away behind the wall, hiding herself from his view. She heard the click of the lock unlocking and the high pitched screech of the metal locker door opening.

 Asahiko’s voice exclaimed something in Japanese and Micha dared to look around the corner. Spilling out of Asahiko’s locker were a bunch of daffodils. He was holding her apology note in his hand.

 “I know I can’t take back what I said,” Micha forced herself to say, stepping into view. Asahiko didn’t even jump. He must have known there was only one person that would leave daffodils out for him. He looked at her for the first time in a month and Micha’s voice caught a little. “But I really am so sorry. I said some really terrible things to you. Things friends shouldn’t say to each other. Things no one should ever say to anyone. I was a really shit friend. I’m not asking you to forgive me, I just needed to apologize. I hope you can accept my apology.” She inhaled after letting out all she wanted to say in one breath.

Asahiko looked from Micha to the daffodil covered floor, to the note written in his hand. Suddenly a smile crept onto his lips. “You’re the most dramatic person I know. For real.” He laughs, and the noise is like music to Micha’s ears. “How am I supposed to turn your apology down? You gave me daffodils!” He picked up a daffodil from the floor to prove his point.

 “So, are you mad at me still?” Micha asked.

 “I mean, I’ll always be hurt by what you said, but I forgive you.” Asahiko scooped up all the fallen daffodils and handed them out to Micha. “But now I have to ask you to forgive me. I should have supported you. I wasn’t aware of how much stress you were under.” 

 Micha shook her head. “You were right all along. I needed to hear the truth about my behavior from somebody, and you were the only one that was honest with me.” “Just accept my daffodils.” Asahiko gave the mangled bouquet a little shake. Micha grinned and took half of the flowers, leaving Asahiko with the other half. “There, now we’re even.”

 Asahiko, looking satisfied, hoisted his gym bag on his shoulder. “Do you wanna go get some ice cream?” 

 “I’d love that.” 

[triptychexe]

◌ genre: attempted comedy ◌ pairing: asa x yen ◌ word count: 0.7k ◌ warnings: none!

HALLOWEEN, 2014

Micha wiggled her costume on and a wave of embarrassment hit her. Was she really about to show up to the company Halloween party like this?

 “Hurry up, Micha! We’re gonna be late!” Asahiko’s voice called from the other side of her bedroom door. She sighed and opened the door.

 “Ah! Mama Mia! It’s my brother!” Asahiko said in a horribly inaccurate Italian accent. He was dressed up as Luigi, and Micha was dressed up as Mario. A blush crept onto her face as she hid her hands in her comically huge white gloves. 

 “Oh, stop that, you look so cute!” Asahiko removed her hands and pressed a fake mustache onto Micha’s upper lip. Micha frowned at Asahiko. She wanted to go as something more feminine like the other female trainees were bound to do, but since she was being extra nice to Asahiko lately to make up for their fight, she agreed to go as Mario this year.

 “I’m going to look so stupid next to everyone out there.” Micha frowned and pointed towards the direction of the living room, where Asahiko could hear the other female trainees giggling and getting ready. “They’re all going to stare at us when we walk in.” 

 “Correction, they’ll all be staring at me when we walk in. I look sexy with this mustache, I overshadow you tonight.” Asahiko wiggled his mustache as if to prove a point.

 Micha chuckled and linked arms with Asahiko as they walked down the hallway in solidarity. 

 No one in the living room seemed to care all that much about their outfit, but their matching costume gained a lot of attention once they arrived to the practice room where the party was being held.

 “Ayy!” Chunghee called from across the room. “It’s a Mario!”

 Micha scowled under her mustache and cast an accusing look at Asahiko. He raised his hands defensively. “You make a cute Mario, people are bound to notice! It’s not my fault!”

 Chunghee came over to talk to the two. He was dressed like Elvis, which was equally as embarrassing.

 “Does anyone know if they’re serving up a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich?” Chunghee asked, getting way too into his role as Elvis. Asahiko thought it was a riot, but Micha had enough of Chunghee after the first couple of minutes and excused herself to go get some food.

Once Micha left Asahiko’s side, a small circle of females surrounded Asahiko and Chunghee. All of them wearing cute costumes, none of them were dressed like a fictional italian plumber. 

 Micha must have been staring at them intently because she didn’t noticed Yerin and Eunha had come over until Eunha had placed her elbow on Micha’s shoulder. Yerin was dressed as a bumblebee and Eunha was a lady bug, but both costumes were feminine and no way embarrassing. 

 “Do you want us to go over and diffuse the crowd so you can have your date back?” Eunha arched her eyebrow at the younger girl. 

 “He’s not my date.” Micha frowned.

 “I mean, I don’t blame those girls. Asahiko really pulls off a mustache.” Yerin joined in on the teasing. “I wouldn’t have let my date out of the house looking that good if it was me.” “Again, he’s not my date.” Micha emphasized. “What do you two want?” “Hey, that’s no way to talk to your unnies.” Eunha scolded, giving Micha’s Mario Hat a tap. “We came over because you looked a-lonely.” Eunha said in an italian accent.

 “And because we thought we’d give you some advice.” Yerin said, putting on her mom voice. 

 “We know you and Asahiko aren’t dating yet-” “Yet? We will never date.” “But please, keep your priorities in mind.” Yerin said, dismissing the younger girl’s protest. “We are debuting next year and preparations for debut is stressful enough. You don’t need added relationship drama on top of that. Once we hit our two year mark, we can start dating. Hold off until then, please.” 

 “I-” Micha shook her head, realizing that there was no point arguing. “I won’t be dating anybody. And there’s  nothing between me and Asahiko anyway, so there’s nothing to worry about.” The older girls didn’t respond as they both took their straws in their mouths and sipped their drinks.

[triptychexe]

◌ genre: romance ◌ pairing: asa x yen ◌ word count: 0.4k ◌ warnings: none

MAY 19TH, 2015

“You look like shit.” Asahiko commented when he opened the door of his dorm to reveal an exhausted looking Micha. She had come over to watch Avatar the Last Airbender, which was their favorite show to watch together. Now Asahiko was regretting ever inviting her. “That’s why I came over. I need something to bring life back in me.” Micha frowned, taking her shoes off. “Micha, you shouldn’t be here, you should be sleeping or something.” Asahiko said in a concerned voice, but she clearly was ignoring him as she padded her way into the apartment and onto the couch. “Let’s start our marathon.” She said, turning the TV on.

“Micha.” “What season do you want to watch? We’ve seen season one so many times.” Micha pretended to look invested in finding the correct episode.

“Micha, don’t be stubborn.” “Which season is Zuko not bald? Let’s start there.” She continued on, ignoring everything that was coming out of Asahiko’s mouth. The Japanese man sighed heavily before crossing the living room floor and snatching the remote out of his friends hands. “You should go back to your dorm and sleep. We can watch Avatar another time.” “Don’t you think I’ve tried sleeping?” Micha questioned, looking up at him from her spot on the couch. “Asahiko, I’ve been trying to sleep for weeks, I just can’t seem to do it. I’m just really stressed and I need some fun, so please, let’s just watch this.” Her aggravation crept into her voice. Asahiko could tell she was going to tear up from frustration if he pushed her any further.

“Okay, we’ll watch the show.” He gave in. “Let’s just lay down and relax, okay?” He said soothingly. Micha nodded and grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch. Asahiko laid down and let Micha rest her head on his chest as they started the show. Asahiko played with the ends of Micha’s hair because he knew that calmed her down. 

They didn’t even get through the first episode when Micha started snoring lightly. A small smile formed on Asahiko’s lips as he looked down to see his friend asleep on his chest. 

His smile softened when he examined her facial features. Her eyelashes were so long and thick, he remembers thinking they were nice when they first met. Her nose was adorable and he always thought it was precious how it scrunches up when she laughs. And her lips were slightly parted. He’d almost forgotten that he kissed those lips years ago. He almost forgot how he wanted to do it again.

He swallowed hard and looked away, hoping his heartbeat wasn’t loud enough to wake her up.

[triptychexe]

genre: fluff pairing: asa x yen word count: 0.3k warnings: some homesickness? 

JUNE 10TH 2014

Micha didn’t know what to do or say when she saw Asahiko cry for the first time. He supports her so much, she almost forgot that he needed support too. She felt guilty as she held his hand while he wiped his tears with the back of his free hand. 

“I just really miss them.” Asahiko sniffled. He was homesick, very homesick, and his parents just called to tell him that they couldn’t afford to come visit him in Korea like they said they would. Unfortunately, Micha’s words weren’t as soothing as Asahiko’s and she wasn’t sure how to comfort him. He didn’t want to be hugged like she would have. Maybe he just wanted to get it off his chest.

“When’s the last time you’ve seen them in person?” Micha asked softly.

“Probably two years.” Asahiko said, exhaling deeply. Micha hummed in response.

“You don’t need to hold back with me. If you want to talk about it, you can.” Micha said in a gentle tone. That’s all Asahiko needed to hear before he went on a rant about how he wasn’t mad at his parents but he wished they financed better. He ranted about what he disliked about Korean society in comparison to Japanese society. He ranted about how unfair it was that plane tickets cost so much. He must have talked for over an hour, but by the end of it, he felt so much better.

“I know that was pretty heavy... Thank you.” Asahiko said genuinely when he finished speaking, his voice raw from crying. 

“Back at it with the ‘thank you’, I see.” Micha teased. “You don’t need to thank me for being a friend.” 

“I know, but I just want you to know how thankful I am.” Asahiko chuckled.

“I feel like all we do is say thank you.” Micha mused.

“I think bad things would happen if we were ever not saying thank you.”

[triptychexe]

◌ genre: romance, angst ◌ pairing: asa x yen ◌ word count: 0.4k ◌ warnings: verbal fighting & swearing

AUGUST 14TH, 2014

Asahiko was always patient with Micha, but right now he was getting a little fed up with her complaining. Every day it was something new that was bothering her about B.A.D, the special project subgroup that Micha was selected to be apart of. Being placed in a special unit was an honor, but Micha was always finding something to complain about. Whether that be the concept, the song, dance, whatever. If you asked Asahiko, his friend was turning into a total diva, and she hasn’t even debuted yet. 

 Their late-night hang for the first time in weeks turned into Micha’s personal rant session. Asahiko didn’t mind being there for Micha, but the things she was complaining about made her seem incredibly ungrateful.

 “I just don’t understand why I need to take so many headshots. We’re a trainee project group, what’s the need for so many professional pictures?” Micha frowned, playing with the pillow on the boy’s dorm’s couch. 

 “At least you’re one step closer to debuting. I’m personally getting a little tired of the practice room.” He said in a sulky tone. Micha looked up at him with furrowed eyebrows, her face contorting into a scowl.

 “What? Do you think I’m being ungrateful?” Micha questioned. Asahiko looked back at her with a shocked expression on his face.

 “You just complained about your life for what, forty-five minutes now? Why can’t I complain about mine?” Asahiko felt a wave of sudden annoyance flood through him.

 “I never said you couldn’t complain, but you just made me sound like a total douchebag for talking about my life.” Micha shot back. Asahiko could practically feel the anger radiating off Micha, and this time he didn’t feel like soothing her like he always did. His patience with Micha was finally running thin.

 “I didn’t make you sound like a douchebag, you did that all on your own.” Asahiko spat.

 “What the fuck, Asahiko?” Micha stood up from the couch, glaring down at him with fire in her eyes. “You’re the only person I can talk to about these things, and I thought you’d understand!” 

 “And I thought you’d understand how much of an ungrateful brat you sound every time you open your mouth!” Asahiko raised his voice to match Micha’s. “You never ask me about how I’m holding up, or what I’m doing. It’s all about you, you, you!” 

 “Well when something actually fucking happens in your life, I’ll ask!” Micha snapped. Asahiko stood up, staring Micha right in the eyes. He’s never been so mad at her before, he hated it. He absolutely hated it. 

 “Leave.” Asahiko said, his voice shaking from anger.

 Micha didn’t say anything as she grabbed her bag and left, slamming the door behind her. 

[triptychexe]

genre: fluff, some angst? pairing: asa x yen word count: 0.3k warnings: crying?

MAY 20TH, 2014

“Micha, it’s me. Open up.” Asahiko tried to keep his voice as soothing as possible.

“Go away!” Micha’s voice shook from inside the bathroom stall. Asahiko stood there awkwardly. He was hoping that it wouldn’t take much convincing for his best friend to talk to him. Now he was feeling awkward standing in the women’s bathroom, talking to a bathroom stall door.

 Everyone had seen her leave the producer’s office in tears. Naturally, Asahiko left his own practice and followed his friend into the women’s room. He wasn’t going to leave until he made her feel better. “Please, Micha, just talk to me,” Asahiko begged.

 “I don’t want to talk about it,” Micha said stubbornly through sniffles. “It’s humiliating.” “It’s just me here,” Asahiko said reassuringly. “You can tell me anything.”

 The latch on the door opened and a red-eyed Micha was revealed. Asahiko opened his arms and she instantly gravitated towards him.

 “Th-they th-think I-I’m not g-good enough for the t-team.” Micha sobbed out, taking deep breaths between each word. “I’m dragging the g-girls d-down.” 

 “Did he say that?” Asahiko asked incredulously, not believing the words that came out of Micha’s  mouth. 

 “Yes! He wants me t-to try again next y-years but I can’t do that! I’m so t-tired of being a trainee. I need to debut. I have to!” Micha wailed desperately against Asahiko’s shoulder.

 “Well, now you gotta do what you always do.” Asahiko said simply, pulling his friend away from him. “You gotta prove him wrong. You’re a fighter, Micha. You’ve never given up on anything. You will debut with this team, I promise you.” 

 Micha wiped her tears away and took a deep breath. “You’re right. Crying isn’t going to make me a better vocalist or dancer.” She said defiantly. Asahiko could see her planning out what she was going to do in her head. He smiled and ruffled her hair. 

 “Thatta girl. Now c’mon, I’ll help you work on your dance.” Asahiko handed her some paper towels to wipe her face.

 “I can't believe you followed me in here.” Micha said, realizing the situation they were in.

 “I’d follow you anywhere.You’re my best friend.” Asahiko said as if it were obvious.

 “Same from me. I’m so thankful for you.” Micha said, blotting her eyes. 

 “Me too.” 

[triptychexe]

◌ genre: fluff ◌ pairing: asa x yen ◌ word count: 0.5k ◌ warnings: one swear word has been uttered.

APRIL 10TH, 2013

Asahiko tapped his foot impatiently while he waited for Micha by the gates of the school like he always did. He didn’t like taking the subway alone since his Korean skills were still not good yet. He found comfort in traveling with Micha.

He saw her before she saw him. She was with her friend with her books in her hands. The spring breeze made her hair dance around her shoulders. Asahiko tried to ignore that as she approached him, waving. He enjoyed this brief interaction because from this moment on, she basically ignored him for the rest of the way to the company. It was like clockwork, the same routine every day.

“Does he always have to follow you?” He overheard the friend say, stealing a glance back at Asahiko as they walked ahead. “He’s not following me, he’s just letting me lead the way,” Micha explained, a little defensively, to her friend.

“He’s been in Korea for nearly five months now, surely he’d know how to navigate the subway station by now.” The friend said as if Asahiko couldn’t understand her. He could understand every word she was saying just fine. He was just having trouble responding to them. Frustration with himself rose, making him kick a pebble in anger.

“You try learning a language in five months,” Micha said, stopping in her tracks to face her friend with an incredulous look on her face. “Korean isn’t easy, you know.”

“Micha, I’m not saying that.” Her friend argued. Asahiko kept his distance. He didn’t want to get caught in the middle of an argument that was essentially centered around him.

“Then what are you trying to say?” Micha crossed her arms. 

“I’m just saying it’s…” Her friend's tone dropped when she noticed how close Asahiko was to them now. “People are saying things about him, and they’ve all picked up on how he’s following you. It’s just so… weird.”

“I don’t care about what other people are saying.” Micha’s voice rose in annoyance.

“Well, maybe you should! You’re training to become an idol. You should mind your reputation in school.” Her friend advised.

“He’s training to be an idol as well!” Micha laughed mirthlessly. “And why the fuck would I want people to know me as a stuck-up snob rather than a good friend?” 

Asahiko’s lips curled into a small smile at the word “friend”. 

Micha’s friend’s mouth was agape, trying to come up with something to say. When she couldn’t, Micha turned to Asahiko.

“C’mon, Asahiko. We’re going to be late.” She said, gesturing him forward with her hand. The two walked down the street, leaving the ‘friend’ behind.

Asahiko could sense the anger radiating off of Micha, so he stayed silent until they sat down on the subway.

“Thank you.” He said, turning his head to look at Micha. Her scowl turned into a smile.

“No problem. That’s what friends are for.”

[triptychexe]

◌ genre: fluff ◌ pairing: asa x yen ◌ word count: 0.3k ◌ warnings: none

APRIL 29TH, 2013

“Okay, try it again from the top,” Micha instructed, holding up a whiteboard with Hangul written on it. 

Asahiko said the phrase with ease. Micha smiled brightly and clapped her hands together. “Your pronunciation is perfect!” She complimented, wiping the whiteboard down.

Asahiko felt a little guilty, but he couldn’t help but smile at Micha’s praise. The truth was, he already knew basic Korean, it was the slang he had trouble with along with the pronunciation of some words. But when Micha offered to help him with his Korean pronunciation, he didn’t want to turn down the generous offer, especially when her reactions to his correct answers were so wholesome.

He looked at the clock above them in one of the practice rooms. “It’s getting late and we have evaluations tomorrow. We should go.” Asahiko said, standing up. He reached his hand over for Micha to take. He heaved her up and gathered his Korean textbooks together. 

“You know, I think all you need is confidence,” Micha said as they turned out the lights in the practice room and walked down the hallway. “You speak Korean just fine when you’re with me.” “Yeah, but you’re you,” Asahiko said, ducking his head sheepishly.

“And you need to start sticking up for yourself,” Micha said as they left the building together, the cool spring breeze enveloping them.

“Is this about what happened the other day?” Asahiko asked.

Micha looked down at her shoes. “I don’t mind sticking up for you, but I think it would be more impactful if you did it yourself.”

Asahiko nodded in understanding. “Thank you.”

Micha looked up and grinned. “Is that your favorite Korean phrase? You say it a lot.”

“It might be.” Asahiko chuckled.

“Well, at least you pronounce it perfectly.” “Thank you.” Asahiko said cheekily. “You’re ridiculous.” “Thank you.” “Cut it out!” “Thank you.”

[triptychexe]

◌ genre: fluff? ◌ pairing: asa x yen ◌ word count: 0.4k ◌ warnings: none

FEBRUARY 2ND, 2015

Once the music stopped, Micha raced out of the practice room to go see Asahiko. The Japanese trainee was standing outside, waiting for her, his eyes trained on the ground. He had just gotten out of a meeting with the main producer and Micha was really hoping that he had gotten news about possibly debuting with Triptych.

“How’d it go?” Micha asked anxiously, closing the practice room door behind her. Her heart sank as she examined Asahiko’s face. He looked crestfallen. That only meant one thing.

“I have really bad news.” Asahiko sighed heavily. 

“Oh,” Micha’s throat started to constrict. She knew it wasn’t set in stone, but her subconscious had already pictured the two of them performing on stage together, filming music videos together, going on variety shows together, and overall living their dream as a pair. All of that was now just a fantasy.

“You’re never getting rid of me.” Asahiko said, a small smile forming at the corners of his lips. Micha furrowed her eyebrows in a moment of confusion before they widened, realizing what he just said.

“No way!”

“Don’t sound so shocked.” Asahiko laughed, pretending to be offended.

“No fucking way!” She screamed and leapt forward to hug her friend. They hugged and jumped in a circle like they were two school-age children.

“Who else is in your unit? Do you know?” Micha questioned, pulling away from her friend and holding him at arm’s length.

“Injung-”

“Injung, really?” Micha cut off in surprise.

“Yeah, he’s good.” Asahiko stated as if it were obvious.

“No, I know that. I’m just in shock right now. Who else?” Micha pressed.

“Chunghee’s in. Changmin’s in. Daehyun’s in. I think they’re going to make him the leader. They’re eventually  going to divide us up into groups of three, but they’re testing our chemistry first.” Asahiko finished, a smile on his face. Now that he was discussing the final line up for the group, it started feeling real. 

“Chunghee, huh? It’d be fun to debut with him.” Micha mused aloud.

“What about me?” Asahiko asked, feigning offense.

The singer scrunched up her face. “Eh.” Micha teased, earning a playful and feather-light arm punch from Asahiko. Micha returned the action, shoving the Japanese trainee lightly. 

“Well, I gotta head to practice.” Asahiko let go of Micha, backing up towards the other end of the hallway. “Wanna get dinner tonight to celebrate?”

“Yes. I’ll pay.” She insisted.

“No, I’ll pay. I’m employed now.” Asahiko spread his arms before turning on his heels and hurrying to the other practice room.

[triptychexe]

◌ genre: fluff ◌ pairing: asa x yen ◌ word count: 0.2k ◌ warnings: none

JUNE 25TH, 2013

Asahiko hit the lights in the practice room halfway through Micha’s practice. He had a cupcake in his hand with a single candle lit. He started singing happy birthday in Korean, but halfway through forgot the words, so he continued in Japanese. Micha burst out laughing and a grin spread on Asahiko’s face.

“Happy Birthday to you!” Asahiko finished the song and Micha clapped for him. He held up the cupcake as Micha blew it out. He handed her the cupcake before rushing to turn the lights back on.

“You didn’t have to do this,” Micha said, a slight blush crept up onto her neck.

“I wanted to. It’s your sixteenth.” Asahiko grinned. “Did you make this?” Micha asked, licking some frosting off her finger. Asahiko shook his head. The truth is, he made a bunch of cupcakes last night and picked the best tasting batch for Micha. He wasn’t sure why he didn’t want her to know this, but the idea kind of seemed embarrassing now that they were face to face.

“Well, thank you. Here, take half.” She said, splitting the cupcake in two with her fingers. She handed a mangled half to Asahiko and they sat down against the mirror, eating silently.

“Did you get anything for your birthday?” Asahiko asked, brushing the crumbs off his hands.

“No, actually,” Micha said, slightly uncomfortable. She started toying with the cupcake wrapper. “My parents gave me some money, but I think all my other friends forgot.” 

“I didn’t forget,” Asahiko said with a small, sympathetic smile.

Micha looked over at him and chuckled, nudging her shoulder with his. “Yeah, and that makes you my favorite friend at the moment.”

[triptychexe]

◌ genre: fluff, romance. ◌ pairing: asa x yen ◌ word count: 0.5k ◌ warnings: none

AUGUST 30TH, 2013

The best summer of Asahiko’s life was over. In two days he would be starting his final year of school and he would have to say goodbye to endless nights with friends and hello to sleepless nights filled with studying.

“I’m gonna miss this.” Asahiko voiced aloud, causing Micha to jolt from her spot at the other end of the couch. The two of them were in the boy's dormitories watching cartoons. Micha looked a little puzzled.

“Miss what?” “Just being able to hang out with you freely.” Asahiko shrugged.

“We’re still going to the same school.” Micha pointed out. “Yeah, but… it won’t be the same.” Asahiko said, directing his attention back to the screen. This summer was the most accepted he’s ever felt since moving to Korea, and he owed it all to Micha. Sure, Injung had been really kind and sensitive towards Asahiko’s transition, but Micha treated him like a friend, not a little sibling. He felt a sense of community with her.

 “Hey, Asahiko, can I ask you something?” Micha said after a moment of silence had elapsed.

 “Sure.” He said, turning his attention back to her. She seemed tense and her eyes do that thing where the blink more than normal when she’s nervous. He rarely ever sees her like this. Whatever this was, it must be important.

 “I’m going into my junior year of high school, right?” Micha prompted.

 “I believe so.” “And most of the girls I know have already, um,” She paused, figuring out how to word what she was trying to say. “Have already done… stuff.”

 “Stuff?” Asahiko arched an eyebrow.

 “I mean, okay, not like… That stuff.” She rolled her eyes. “But I haven’t had my first kiss yet and I don’t want to be the last of my friends to have their first kiss. I also don’t really know many guys I trust so…” She took a deep breath. “Would it be weird if you kissed me?” Asahiko furrowed his eyebrows and thought for a minute. Did he hear her correctly? 

“You want me to kiss you?” He asked.

 “If you don’t feel comfortable I totally understand. I can always ask Chunghee-” 

 “No, no.” Asahiko suddenly sat up straight. The thought of Chunghee kissing Micha made him extremely uncomfortable. “I don’t care. I’ll do it.” He said, trying to sound calm.

 “Okay,” Micha said, shifting herself so she was facing Asahiko.

 Asahiko leaned in, cupping Micha’s face gently with his hand and gave her a chaste kiss. It was barely anything. Just a sweet kiss that lasted less than a second. But in that second, warmth spread through Asahiko’s body. When they pulled away, the warmth left, and he almost asked for another kiss.

 “Thanks, Asahiko.” Micha said, exhaling with relief. As if nothing happened, she turned back towards the cartoon playing, an accomplished smile on her lips.