#i have been. listening to the new bad bunny album a lot if you couldn't tell lmao | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

binnie-bitch · 1 year ago

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Lock Our Love - Chapter 5

AO3 Link - Masterpost Pairing: Seo Changbin/Johnny Suh Tags: Strangers to Lovers, First Meetings, Fluff, Angst, Eventual Smut Chapter Word Count: 3.6k Status: Ongoing Summary: 'NCT Johnny and Stray Kids Changbin caught in dating rumors' Johnny blinked. He read over it again, rubbed his eyes, and read again. "What the fuck?" "You have to read everything,” Doyoung said, giving his phone over. Johnny glanced up at him, then over at Taeyong, who looked absolutely miserable. Johnny's own mind was going as slow as a snail trying to comprehend what was written on the screen. It had to be a joke. It had to be. No matter how Johnny twisted the words in his mind, they didn't make anysense. Taking a deep breath, he scrolled down. ~~~~ Johnny and Changbin are rumored to be dating, even though they have never talked before. But then they do talk. Then they become friends. The next step seems inevitable for them. But can they survive when all eyes are on them? A/N: Any feedback is appreciated <3 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the comeback related schedules faded away, the usual routine of various practices found its way back into their life. Unlike some, Johnny hated the routine. Always the same three rooms every day, never-changing white walls, his mind shutting down as his body moved by muscle memory alone.

A whole month went by in a flash. One of the few things Johnny remembered were the rare times he and the other members actually had time to go out, enjoy some free time. Like one Wednesday where he went for a walk along the Han River with Yuta and Jaehyun. How the latter ended up falling into the river, Johnny couldn't remember, but it was quite a story later that night on the phone with Changbin.

The one other thing prominent in between hazy memories of dance practices and language lessons.

Stray Kids got busy with their own comeback. Their once-a-week gym sessions were the only time they could see each other. Though, Johnny did notice that Changbin was trying to talk a lot more, even if that hindered his actual workout routine. But considering that Changbin went to the gym almost every day, Johnny doubted any major impact his presence could have.

With the lack of time, he valued every late night phone call a lot more. Every text message assuring Johnny that Changbin was eating warmed his heart. It somewhat became part of the routine as well, but strangely enough, Johnny enjoyed this daily check-in. Maybe because it wasn't work related, but Johnny knew that was just an excuse to feel less guilty.

At one point, Jaehyun asked Johnny about his problem again. He reaffirmed his opinion from that night, telling Johnny to go for it, but maybe if he knew who this was about, he would have reacted differently. So many what if's, so much to consider. Johnny caught himself a few times from asking other members for their opinion. Some of them had more thought than Jaehyun though, and would definitely figure it out.

Such an urge creeped up on him again during another dance practice. He had just been texting with Changbin, the exchange burning into his skull, leaving him unable to think of anything else. The music rattled him to the bone, the floor shaking under his feet, but it couldn't drown out his wandering mind.

[Strong Bunny] 'Did you listen to our new album yet?'

[Gym Buddy] 'Of course, bunny! I love it!' 'Before you ask, my favorite is 3Racha. Your deep voice is hot~'

[Strong Bunny] 'Thank you, hyung'

[Gym Buddy] 'I'm surprised tho. A whole album about love? Didn't you say none of you had a proper relationship yet?'

[Strong Buddy] 'That doesn't mean we've never been in love' 'Felix is especially bad. He always has someone new to gush about'

[Gym Buddy] 'And you, bunny?'

[Strong Bunny] 'I do like someone right now'

[Gym Buddy] 'Oh? Who?'

Johnny had sent that message an hour ago, but there was still no answer. He stared at his phone with a million emotions rushing through his body.

Sighing deeply, he dropped his hand beside him. The floor pressed cold against his bare arms. Laying on the ground wasn't exactly comfortable, and his aching muscles were probably going to hate him for it later, but he couldn't bring himself to crawl over to the couch. There wasn't much room between Jungwoo and Donghyuck anyway.

Johnny took a deep breath. His lungs burned, throat struggling against it. He also needed to consume some water. Taeil had thankfully lost his interest in Fanta, now bothering no one but the upper dorm floor with his new feng shui obsession.

"Hyung." Mark's face appeared at the edge of Johnny's vision, peering down at him.

"Oh! My favorite boy!"

"Have you looked at Twitter today?"

The serious tone of Mark's voice had Johnny sit up immediately. He glanced down to where Mark was holding his phone, then back up at the concern-ridden face.

"No? Why?" Johnny asked carefully.

Mark looked around, stopping for a moment at the sight of Taeyong fussing over an exhausted Doyoung. With a sigh, Mark dropped down on the floor next to Johnny, turning on his phone again. He frowned at the screen, hesitating, before holding it out for Johnny to read.

"Pretty sure Taeyong hyung doesn't know yet," Mark said, as if that in any way eased the way Johnny's heart dropped into his stomach.

'Once again, the rumors about NCT Johnny and Stray Kids Seo Changbin cook hot. One fan on twitter, going by the handle @seungmoooo, uploaded multiple pictures of the two together. They appear to be quite close, figuratively and literally.'

Johnny snatched the phone from Mark, eye's growing wide. He opened the Twitter post with the actual pictures and a familiar scene appeared, just from the other side of the street from behind a car. They very clearly showed Johnny's face when he had forgotten his mask the day before. It was easy to guess Changbin, his stature too obvious. One shot depicted their hug, another the moment right after when Johnny had leaned down to whisper something in Changbin's ear. He vaguely remembered what he actually said.

"What the fuck?" Johnny yelled, scrambling to his feet.

Mark followed a little clumsily. His frown had melted into worry, but Johnny couldn't spare his feelings at that moment.

"Fans! They call themselves a fucking fan! What fan just uploads pictures like that?"

Tension crawled under Johnny's skin as he walked up and down, slowly dragging himself through the comment section. Too many 'fans' spewed trash, as if they had any idea what the fuck they were seeing.

'@markiemark99 Wow, aren't they a bit too close? Sus'

'@chansnose oh yikes pls tell me this is fake'

The only thing keeping Johnny from throwing the phone against the nearest wall was the fact that the majority of comments consisted of people with common sense.

'@reformingwjoong What's weird is that you took these pictures. Jfc give them some fucking privacy'

'@scholarnoemi Dating or not, who cares? Take your delulu ass somewhere else'

Johnny inhaled deeply, closing his eyes in the process. His free hand tightened into a fist at his side. Everyone's stares burned into his skin, and Mark's presence lingered at his side with overwhelming awkwardness. With the exhale, Johnny looked around the room. Taeyong approached with careful steps, as if approaching a feral cat.

"Do I want to know?" he asked, gesturing at the phone.

Johnny handed it over to him. "No, but you should."

Some of the other members peeked over Taeyong's shoulder. Various stages of concern twisted their faces. Johnny continued to pace, making his way over to his bag at some point. He pulled out his own phone. Some Dream members had spammed the group chat about the article, which was presumably how Mark found out.

But Johnny was more interested in the one message from Changbin.

[Strong Bunny] 'We should stop meeting'

Such simple words, but they had Johnny's stomach twisting in the most unpleasant way. He swallowed against whatever curse crawled up his throat. His thumbs hovered over the keyboard, but he couldn't find the right words in any of the languages he spoke. Any protest seemed wrong.

"Johnny," Taeyong said, drawing his attention back to the group, "why didn't you tell me you've been meeting Changbin?"

"It didn't seem important."

A very wrong conclusion in retrospect. In Johnny's defense, he really didn't want anyone telling him it was a bad idea. He was very well aware. He also didn’t think that meeting Changbin would become a regular thing. But any sort of protest seemed futile against the disappointment washing over Taeyong's face.

"Johnny-"

"Yes?"

"-I trust you, you know that, but tell me you didn't lie about not dating Changbin."

"I didn't. I met him shortly after the whole rumor started, we exchanged numbers to, you know, plan what pictures we post. Just to be safe. But we hit it off, and now we're friends."

"Just friends."

"Just friends," Johnny reaffirmed.

Taeyong sighed deeply. He gave Mark his phone back, taking in everyone else's expression. While the concern had somewhat mellowed out, Mark and Taeil especially didn't look convinced of anything. Johnny couldn't blame them. He really should have told them.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Taeyong asked.

"Honestly? No. I should have expected that someone would eventually see us at the gym together, but we don't really have any other option to meet up."

"But it's suspicious if you two get spotted alone together," Jungwoo said, as if he wasn't stating the obvious.

Maybe Changbin was right. Maybe this whole thing was a mistake. As much as Johnny didn't want to worry, the attention on the rumor still hadn't died down, and one more wrong move could ruin everything. And Johnny was sure he was going to make a wrong move. Changbin haunted his mind like Pandora's box, the temptation to open it too great.

Johnny looked down at his phone, at Changbin's message.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything," he said, glancing back up.

"It's okay. Just don't do it again," Taeyong replied.

"That doesn't solve the issue though," Donghyuck chimed in.

"What issue?"

"That Johnny hyung can't meet Changbin safely," Donghyuk said. "Maybe if they didn't meet alone, it would be fine."

"You mean, they need a sort of decoy?" Doyoung asked.

"Yes! Someone who will go to the gym with them."

In perfect unison, everyone turned to Mark. He blinked, a cat caught in the snack cabinet, and slowly glanced behind himself. Looking back, he pointed at himself.

"Yo, what? You want me to join them?"

"Obviously," Jungwoo said.

"Changbin can invite Bang Chan. You two know each other, right?" Doyoung asked.

"Donghyuck knows him too," Mark defended, "he's more a friend to other Dreamies, anyway. Also, didn't Jaehyun hang out with him recently?"

Jaehyun scoffed. "I did, but it was Jungkook who invited him. We're not that close yet."

"Jae also a terrible workout partner," Johnny threw in. "No offense, dude."

"Same to you."

"But still…" Trailing off, Mark put his chin in his hands, eyes drifting over the floor.

"You don't have to," Johnny said.

"I know." Mark met his gaze again, a sparkle in the big doe eyes. "But I won't pass up an opportunity to see Bang Chan-hyung again."

Some laughter filled the room, the atmosphere now much lighter. New hope that everything could work out filled Johnny's chest. He only needed to convince Changbin. Perhaps involving the other members more was going to help. Fans couldn't possibly think Johnny and Changbin were dating when they didn't go out alone. Who would bring their friends on a date?

"Well," Taeyong clapped his hands together, "now that's that settled, we should continue our practice."

A collective groan hushed through the crowd, but they all followed the leader anyway. As worried as everyone had been before, the whole topic seemed to be forgotten the moment they got into formation and the first notes of music filled the space. Except Johnny caught Jaehyun's eyes in the mirror at some point, shivering at the intensity behind them. Like Jaehyun was trying to figure out the meaning of life.

Johnny ignored him. He had other things to worry about. But of course Jaehyun decided to be a pain in the ass, sticking his nose where it didn't belong.

After practice, Johnny immediately texted Changbin. He got straight to the point, explaining the plan, but the answer took a while. Johnny stared at his phone the whole car drive to the dorms, switching between biting his thumbnail and chewing his bottom lip.

From the corner of his eye, he occasionally caught a glimpse of Jaehyun next to him. He watched Johnny with hawk eyes. The pieces seemed to be falling into place for him, much to Johnny’s dismay. Though, he supposed Jaehyun wasn't the worst person who could find out. He wasn't exactly one to gossip.

Johnny's phone vibrated as they stepped into the elevator.

[Strong Bunny] 'You think this will work?'

[Gym Buddy] 'Donghyuckie can be annoying, but his advice works out most of the time, as painful as it is to admit that'

[Strong Bunny] 'I trust you' 'I also want to keep meeting you'

Johnny released a shaky breath. Taeyong raised his eyebrows, but smirked after Donghyuck whispered something into his ear. Meanwhile, Doyoung wasn’t listening to anything, but Jaehyun's attention cut as sharp as ever.

"Why are you with us, Jae?" Johnny asked, squinting.

"I forgot something in hyung's room."

"Is Taeyong still teaching you how to play that game?” Johnny knew the game full well. He played it himself, but seeing Taeyong’s eyes widen was too amusing. “What was it? Overpatch?"

"Overwatch," Taeyong mumbled, pursing his lips.

"Sure, that."

That somehow turned into a whole lecture about the value of Shooters, which lasted all the way into the dorm. Doyoung and Haechan scurried off to the hallway leading to the bedrooms while Jaehyun and Johnny pretended to listen to Taeyong. Though the moment Johnny's phone pinged with a message, he excused himself.

Donghyuck was nowhere to be found when Johnny slipped into their shared room. He probably joined Doyoung for some epic quest of avoiding any responsibility. Not that Johnny cared. His focus was only on his phone screen, where he had opened the chat with Changbin. Lost in the talk about Overwatch, Johnny had completely forgotten to answer.

[Strong Bunny] 'Channie-hyung said yes'

A grin tugged at the corners of Johnny's mouth. Success, he supposed. It was worth a try at least.

[Gym Buddy] 'Cool!'

'I'm glad you're in with this whole thing'

'I would have been sad if we couldn't meet again'

A pause. Three dots appeared at the bottom. Gone again. Johnny held his breath. They came back just to vanish once more. Nothing. Johnny dropped onto his pillows, and tugged his stuffed whale under his chin. If he had stared any harder at the screen, he might have gone blind.

A knock pulled him out of his trance.

"Come in!" he yelled, shutting off his phone.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Johnny had expected it. The inevitable confrontation. He still startled a little as Jaehyun peeked around the corner.

"Do you have time to talk, hyung?" Jaehyun asked.

Johnny shuffled into a sitting position, whale plushie still squished against his chest.

"Do I want to have time?"

"No, but you should have it anyway."

There was no winning this one, because Jaehyun was right. Johnny was losing control over the situation. Maybe. It sounded dramatic though, and being dramatic felt right. Jaehyun quietly closed the door behind him, hesitating before stepping further into the room. He glanced over at Donghyuck's bed. Still empty, still a mess from the morning. Apparently not enough of a mess, because Jaehyun sat down on it, absently wiping away some stray crumbs of whatever snack Donghyuck had decided to eat last night.

"So…" Jaehyun leaned back on his hands, gaze firmly set on the older man, "is Changbin the one you asked me about? The one you think would be a ‘mistake to pursue’?"

Straight to the point, as expected. Just how Johnny liked it. No need to talk around the topic, draw it out, as if that would make anything easier.

"That was a month ago, why do you still remember that?"

"Why are you surprised that I remember?"

Johnny scoffed. "I wish you didn’t."

"Too bad. I've been thinking about it a lot. You're usually so confident in everything, but now you have doubts about trying to fuck someone?"

"It's not about sex."

"Right, you're obviously hopelessly in love."

"You make everything sound awful," Johnny said, shaking his head.

"So is it Changbin?"

It would have been easy to deny it. Johnny was a great liar, all poker face and commitment, but as he clung to his plushie while staring at Jaehyun's open face, his mind failed him. Right then and there, the truth seemed like an open book. His heart laid bare on a silver plate.

Johnny sighed.

"Yes."

"Makes sense." Jaehyun hummed thoughtfully, "I wondered what could possibly hold you back. Dating as an idol isn't some impossible task, and you did it before-"

"Is there a point to your rambling?"

"I'm just saying that I was confused, but I get it now. But I thought you didn't know Changbin before?"

"I told you, I met him after the rumors started. We talked a lot, even met for sushi — don't tell Taeyong — and that night when we both texted, I agreed to meet Changbin at the gym for the first time the following morning I already knew a few days into texting that I'm down bad. It's ridiculous how easily I fell for him, I know, but…" Johnny trailed off, no word good enough to describe the way Changbin captured his attention.

He looked over at Jaehyun again. A crooked smile decorated his face, that kind of shit eating grin that had anyone concerned about what plans were developing in that big head of his.

"What?" Johnny asked.

"Nothing."

"You look evil."

"It's just nice to see you like this. You really are down bad."

"Thank you, doc."

Jaehyun laughed, still looking like he won some grand prize.

"I mean it, though. Seeing you in love is nice. I'm really happy for you, hyung."

A warm metaphorical hug squeezed Johnny's heart. The sincerity stung at the corners of his eyes, but he controlled himself enough to keep it at that. He did give Jaehyun a smile, everything he possibly could have said behind the simple gesture. Jaehyun seemed to understand, smiling brighter.

"I'll stand by what I said before," Jaehyun continued, "you should go for it if you think he likes you back."

"I have no idea, I won't lie."

"Are you flirting with him?"

"Shamelessly."

Jaehyun chuckled softly. "Does he respond?"

"Yes? But it's hard to tell how genuine he is. Or if he even likes it."

"Maybe you should ask him."

"Of course," Johnny scoffed, "at that point I could just tell him my feelings directly. Dude, you don't ask a friend if flirting is okay. You just do it and stop when they seem uncomfortable. Asking about it just makes it weird."

"Yuta asked Mark if he minds the flirting," Jaehyun said.

"Yeah, but Yuta is a pervert. He gets a kick out of making things weird."

"True."

Beside Johnny, his phone vibrated again. He peeked at Jaehyun, but Jaehyun was staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. Johnny appreciated his help, really. He would have appreciated any member's help, but Jaehyun was the least annoying about it. Simple advice.

Johnny loosened his grip on the whale, opening the chat with Changbin again.

[Strong Bunny] 'I like talking to you' 'But I'm worried'

[Gym Buddy] 'I know' 'I'm worried too, but I'm ready to take the risk'

[Strong Bunny] 'I'll see you at gym next week'

That was a win, kind of. Changbin agreed to try at least, what else could Johnny ask for? But the hesitation was clear. The fear. Not that Johnny could blame him. He prayed Donghyuck's plan would work. If no other article appeared in the next month or so, they would be in the clear. Probably. Obviously, it wasn't that easy, but Johnny was a frog in a slowly heating pot.

Jaehyun huffed. "Are you texting Changbin again?"

"Yes."

"If you're so unsure about it, take some time to really observe his reactions to you. See the signs, or whatever people say."

"You should become a dating coach," Johnny sneered.

"Think about it, hyung. I've never seen you so hopeless, so you must really like him. Don't throw that away."

With that, Jaehyun pushed himself to his feet, and left. Not even a goodbye. Any other time, Johnny would have called him back to kick his ass, but he could only stare at the door. His mind struggled around Jaehyun's words, trying to break them apart and find an excuse to dismiss them.

Johnny glanced back down at his phone. Changbin had sent a selfie. Through half lidded eyes, he smiled at the camera, face barely illuminated. His curly hair was splayed out over the pillow, the only clear sign he was in bed. Changbin looked… soft. So fucking soft. Beautiful. Johnny carved every detail into his skull.

[Gym Buddy] 'Look at you~' 'What a sight for sore eyes'

Johnny added a selfie of his own, making sure to keep his whale out of the picture. He mimicked Changbin's peace sign, topping it off with a wink. Just as he sent it, the bedroom door opened again, and Donghyuck creeped inside. He stilled at the sight of Johnny, eyes wide.

"Sorry, hyung. I thought you were already asleep."

"Did Jaehyun ask you to stay out of the room?"

Donghyuck hesitated, like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Maybe?"

Johnny snorted in amusement. Of course Jaehyun did. Probably texted Donghyuck in the car or something. And Johnny thought they were a team, but no, they’d shamelessly conspired against him.

He shook his head and dropped into his pillows, rolling onto his side. A small offended huff from Donghyuck filled the room, and Johnny hid his smirk behind his plushie. At least Donghyuck didn't ask why. Maybe he was planning to exploit the debt Jaehyun owed him now. Power over the older members always seemed to outweigh his need to know everything.

One last message appeared in the chat.

[Strong Bunny] 'Goodnight, hyung. Dream of me'

This had to be a good sign.

#stray kids fanfiction #changbin fanfiction #nct fanfiction #nct 127 fanfiction #johnny fanfiction #fanfiction

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