Stay (SKZ x Reader)

Part 14

It's been a week since you spent the day with Jeongin.

It's been really nice staying with the boys. The atmosphere was very homey, unlike your last dorm. They all treated you like you had belonged there, like you were just a part of the furniture.

Staying here has been the happiest you have been in years...

But that feeling was short-lived as you turned over in your bed, checking the time in your phone. It was a little past 6am.

But it wasn't the time that bothered you. It was the date.

You roll out of bed and throw in some clothes, and your growing anxiety has made it impossible to fall back to sleep.

Although the sun had not yet risen, you headed outside for some freshair.

The rain fell hard, and the air was cool on your cheeks, a huge contrast from the weather only a few days ago.

You wrap your scarf around your head and look down, watching as your footsteps make ripples in the wet sidewalk.

Ever since you moved away from your family, this time of year has always been hard for you...

Today was the day before your birthday.

You dreaded this day, as it was nothing but a reminder of the distance between you and your loved ones.

It was also the day that your parents had given you the necklace that was no longer in your possession.

You are overcome by a feeling of homesickness, followed by a wave of dizziness. You sit yourself down on a nearby bench.

You sit with your head between your legs, trying to fight the nausea until you hear the squeaky sound of wet sneakers approaching the bench.

You look up as you feel the weight of someone sitting beside you.

"Hey, Y/N... are you alright?" Han asks, his face slightly hidden under the shadow of a hooded jacket.

"Yeah, I'm alright..." You sigh. "But how did you know I was here?"

"Honestly, I got up to use the bathroom and saw you leaving by yourself... you looked upset, so I followed you." He chuckles. "That sounds kind of weird, doesn't it?"

"Not at all, I appreciate your concern." You smile.

"In that case, are you going to tell me what's really wrong?" He teases you, lightly shoving you with his elbow. "I lost some valuable beauty sleep to be here, so don't make it in vain."

You giggle, watching as your breath makes clouds in the cool air.

You toss around the idea of telling Han your feelings. You were never one to burden others with your problems, but you could clearly see the genuine concern in his expression.

"If I tell you something, will you promise to keep it between us?"

"If course!" He nods. "What's on your mind?"

You stare down at your hands as you speak, rubbing them together not only to fight the cold but to calm the racing of your heart.

"I genuinely loathe it, and would prefer if nobody knew about it..."

"If the guys knew it was your birthday tomorrow, they would definitely make a huge deal out of it..." He wraps his hands around yours, rubbing them between his fingers to create warmth. "But you won't have to worry about that, I won't tell anyone... I promise."

You look into his eyes. Seeing the brightness in his face, you can not help but smile. It felt as if a weight were lifted off of your shoulders.

"Come on, let's get up... my butt is soaked!" Han lets go of your hands, standing up and separating his wet pants from his thighs.

You burst into laughter and get up as well, shaking the rain from your clothes.

He reaches into a bag he wore over his shoulder, pulling out a folded umbrella.

"You have no right to complain about being wet when you had that this whole time!"

He chuckles, pulling you close and holding the umbrella over your heads.

You walk together down the street, talking about everything under the sun. It was a welcome distraction.

In the middle of your conversation, Han suddenly stops in his tracts, taking you off guard.

"What's the matter?"

He hands you the umbrella and makes a sprint down the sidewalk, leaping into a large puddle.

"What are you doing!?" You shout, running behind him.

"I'm already drenched, so why not enjoy it!" He grins cheekily as you fold up the umbrella, jumping into the puddle beside him.

"My splash was bigger!" He teases.

"No way!"

The both of you laugh and run around in the rain like small children, hopping through the muddy puddles.

And before you had known it, the rain had quickly washed away your sorrows.

But unbeknownst to both of you, Han had not followed you alone.

Earlier, as you both sat on the bench, somebody lays against the side of a building, listening intently to your heavy conversation.

With this newfound information, they run back to the dorm.