REPLAY | anime one shots

baking buddies [1/3]

Yoosung Kim

Yoosung watched her as she carefully decorated the cake in front of her. He couldn't help but admire the concentrated look on her face, with her eyebrows scrunched together and her lip between her teeth. The cake, honestly, looked like art, which is to be expected of a women with her own bakery. Her [E/C] eyes never looked away from the deliciousness she was decorating in front of her, but she could still somehow feel his gaze on her. "Your staring is distracting."

"S-Sorry..." he apologized, looking away and rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "You're just... really good at what you do."

"Thanks," she said with a smile, looking away from her cake for a moment to look at him before looking back down.

"No, you're like... really good," he said again, walking slowly closer to her with wide eyes as he admired the cake. "How do you do this?"

"Lots of practice." [Y/N] leaned away from the cake and stretched her back, starting to feel stiff from being hunched over for so long. She crossed her arms over her chest, searching the cake for any flaws in the decoration. She sighed. "I think it's finished."

He stood in front of the cake and bent over, observing every little detail. "Hmmm.." He tapped his chin, pretending to be a harsh critic, and she rolled her eyes. "A solid 8/10."

"Excuse me?" she asked, faking offense. She put a hand dramatically to her chest, and Yoosung's eyes shone with amusement despite trying to keep a serious expression.

"You have to redo the whole thing, [Y/N]. You can't possibly give this to a paying customer." He couldn't help the goofy smile creeping onto his face though, ruining the seriousness. He looked down at the leftover icing in the bowl on the counter and swiftly picked some up on the tip of his finger. "The consistency isn't right." He licked it off his finger and he made an exaggerated disgusted face, sticking his tongue out. "And it's far too sweet."

"My icing is perfect the way it is, thank you very much!" she exclaimed, sticking a finger in the leftover icing as well and tasting it. She frowned. "Actually you might be right..."

His grin fell from his face. "No, no, I was joking! It's perfect!"

Her saddened expression quickly changed to a smile as she picked some out of the bowl and stuck it on his nose. "Gotcha!"

"Oh, you're gonna get it this time!" Yoosung said, and [Y/N] giggled as he chased her around the kitchen. She moved to the side of the island, and he cut her off, so she moved to the other side, but he went there too. They went back and forth for a minute before he got tired of it and quickly sprinted to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and catching her.

"Yoosung!" she exclaimed, laughing as he picked her up and spun her around. "Put me down!"

They laughed together as he slowed down and let her feet touch the floor, but his arms were still around her and his face was buried in her neck. Her playful giggles slowly turned into awkward chuckles as he stayed in that position, and she scrunched her eyebrows together at the realization of just how close they were. "Yoosung?"

His eyes shot open, and his arms fell from around her. "S-Sorry!" he said as he quickly stepped away from her, but unfortunately, the only direction 'away' from her was backwards. And behind him... was the cake.

"I am... so sorry, [Y/N]."

She stared at the cake, which was now splattered on the floor, absolutely speechless. Yoosung's eyes started to well up with tears. She had spent her entire day making that cake! And he ruined it! "I am so so so sorry."

Her mouth opened and closed. She didn't know what to say. She can't believe that had just happened. "Th... The customer... is expecting this cake tomorrow--"

"I am so sorry!" he repeated yet again, the guilt eating him alive. He can't believe he just knocked it over. He quickly grabbed a rag and started to wipe the icing off the floor. "I am so so sorry!"

"It's... it's fine," she said and flashed a quick smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. He threw the crumbled cake into the trash can, wanting to fix his mistake by at least cleaning up his mess. "This isn't the first time I've had to redo a cake."

"I--I'll help you make a new one!" He scrubbed the icing off the floor, but it only spread and made an even worse mess. "Uh..um..."

"It's okay." She placed her hand over his, which was frantically wiping the floor to rid it of the mess. She took the rag out of his hands. "You've done enough."

"Oh..."

She noticed the effect her words had on him, and was quick to reassure him. "Yoosung, I--I didn't mean it like that--"

"No, it's fine!" He stood up and wiped his hands on his pants, flashing her a quick smile. "I'd probably just get in your way. Good luck."

She also stood up, not knowing what to say. She didn't want him to leave. Sure, she was upset that all her hard work was for nothing, but.... she didn't regret being able to goof off with Yoosung one bit. "Yoosung..."

He ran a hand through his hair, glancing at the mess the kitchen was in. "I don't feel right leaving you with this mess, though..."

A smile tugged at her lips. "I make a huge mess on a good day. I'll be okay."

"O-Oh," he said softly. He honestly wanted her to ask him to stay, even if it was simply just to clean. He also didn't want to be a burden though... "If you're sure you don't need my help..."

"I got this," she said, giving him a quick thumbs up. He nodded. "I'll see you later, Yoosung."

As he was walking away to leave, he kept repeating in his head please, stop me. please, stop me. please, stop me.

As he was walking away to leave, she kept repeating in her head please, don't leave. please, don't leave. please, don't leave.

The walk to the door was a long one, and alot of things went through his mind. Was he really going to leave her to clean by herself? He wasn't raised that way. He couldn't possibly leave a girl to clean by herself. But she doesn't want him there... She wanted him to leave. Could he go against her wishes? Or should he leave? And possibly stay in the friendzone forever?

That thought alone frightened him. He liked her more than he cared to admit. Could he really hold in his feelings forever? But, what if she didn't like him in return? Could he ruin their friendship?

His hand touched the doorknob. He thought back to earlier when she was in his arms. It felt so right. Her warmth, her smell, her everything. God, he liked her way too much. But did she feel the same?

Probably not. She sounded weirded out when he did that! She didn't like him. He couldn't change that. So, why did he hesitate to leave? Distancing himself might be good for him. But, as he slowly twisted the doorknob, he paused. He let it go. He turned around to see her eyes wide, probably wondering what he was doing.

"I.. I'm going to help you. Please don't tell me you don't need my help because I know that, but... I want to help you."

She smiled.

"Okay!"