⁺◦ 𝔥𝔬𝔱 | 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 .

↳ 𝐣𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐚𝐧 .

seungcheol's dorm isn't necessarily uninviting, but it is a far cry from the place you used to call home. the only saving grace is the fact that the lights are out. even though the only light in the place comes from the flashlight on jeonghan's phone, you can tell that the place is cluttered when you trip over a pair of shoes.

"hey, jeonghan." a pair of large hands find your waist. you try to stifle a gasp, but there's no use. seungcheol's got his hands around your waist to stop you from falling. "whoa, what happened here?"

seungcheol's roommate is in the middle of trying to light a candle, so he's too preoccupied to notice you or his roommate. you're thankful that he doesn't because your mind hasn't caught up to your body quite yet—which is why your heart is racing.

seunghceol just helped me. that's the only reason why he's touching me right now.

"the entire campus is experiencing a power outage because of this thunderstorm." the roommate continues to play with the lighter.

"oh, i see." you elbow seungcheol to let him know that it's safe to unhand you. "uh, jeonghan, i brought a guest to spend the night here." seungcheol quickly recovers from your impolite action.

did he just say jeonghan, as in yoon jeonghan? i should've known that jeonghan lives with seungcheol, but the thought never even crossed my mind. i suppose the way the day's unfolded did a number on me.

"you have a new guest over every single night and you never tell me, so why's tonight any different?" jeonghan doesn't even try to mask his annoyance with seungcheol.

after trying to figure out how to operate the lighter, he finally succeeds in it. he lights the candle, then he carefully sets it down on the countertop. too quickly for your liking, he turns around and trains his eyes on you.

"oh, (y/n), you're here." jeonghan says, half-startled and half-excited.

is he happy to see me?

you level his stare, while you gaze at him. looking at someone for so long without blinking shouldn't be possible, but you found a way to stare at jeonghan for at least forty five seconds before opening your mouth to explain what you're doing there."please, don't mind me. i'll only be here for one night, then i'll be gone by the morning."

"you don't have to-"

seungcheol's girlfriend has been waiting for his arrival, so she's ran out of patience completely. "choi seungcheol! get in here!" a beat of silence loops around the space, then she screeches again. "i know that you're here, so don't even think about trying to ignore me!"

you feel a coldness sliding through your bones. before you know it you start shivering. in the blink of an eye, jeonghan's covering you with a blanket while commenting, "looks like his girlfriend is angry."

your curiosity is faster than your rationality, since you can't seem to bite back the words that sit on the tip of your tongue. "they're dating?"

"no, of course not. they're doing what kids in college do."

"oh,"

jeonghan pulls at the edges of the blanket, pulling you in closer to him. he doesn't even seem to realize how close you are to him.

"what are you-" you question his motives, but he meets you with an explanation that's very well-crafted.

"i'm just making sure the blanket's keeping you warm, (y/n)." he explains.

your comfort is all jeonghan is worried about right now.

"right, thanks." you mutter.

if you were thinking straight, seungcheol's scoff wouldn't have surprised you the way it did. you wouldn't have clung to jeonghan as if he was a life raft and you were drowning. jeonghan doesn't complain when you latch yourself onto him.

seungcheol left the room in a hastened manner, not sparing a glance towards you and jeonghan.

what's his problem?

"are you still cold? if you are, then i could lend you something warm to wear." jeonghan looks down at you with this gentle expression. he holds you delicately, as if you might break at any second. "how does that sound, (y/n)?"

"great, it sounds great." you murmur to jeonghan.

he leads you to the room in the dorm that belongs to him. he doesn't let go of your hand when he starts sorting through his clothes. he doesn't let go of your hand when he hands you the oversized clothes that he selected for you. only when you need some privacy to change into the clothes does he peel his hand off of yours.

the door shuts behind jeonghan, then you remove your drenched shirt. "hey, jeonghan?"

"yeah, what is it?" jeonghan says, and you can tell that he's leaning against the door.

"i want to thank you for being so kind to me." you dry yourself off, then you pull the shirt over your head. it hangs off of you in a way that seems stylish. "you kept me company at that horrible party, tried to cheer me up after i argued with..." your voice catches, but you force yourself to speak. "with olivia."

"(y/n), are you okay? you sound like you're about to cry." jeonghan sounds worried.

you soldier on. "you're the reason why today wasn't the worst day of my life, so thank you. i owe you."

"you're welcome," jeonghan speaks so softly.

you push your legs through the sweatpants that jeonghan gave you, then you look down at yourself.

how did all of this happen so fast?

you knock on the door to warn jeonghan that you're going to open it. you hear his shuffling as he moves away from it.

"goodnight, jeonghan." you bid jeonghan farewell, but he seems to have other plans.

"wait a second, (y/n)." jeonghan's hand returns to yours as if it never left. "i'd be willing to lend an ear if you want to talk about what's bothering you."

"thanks, but i've already burdened you enough with my problems." you only look at you and jeonghan's hands.

"no, you haven't." he squeezes your hand as he says this.

the smacking sounds start promptly after he says this, but that's not the sound that jeonghan seems to be focused on. the sound of your stomach growling is a much more matter. you look away from your hand, then jeonghan suggests something. "let's talk over food."

a sweet smile spreads across your face at his suggestion. even though the world seems to be ripping itself apart, you just can't resist the opportunity to spend time with jeonghan.

"so, is that a yes?" jeonghan asks you, while smiling.

for some weird reason, your smile seems to be contagious.

"yeah, it is." you quickly say.

is this a date or am i crazy?