Discord Prompt

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Prompt Word(s): Bloom/Rain

Part 01: Conditions

Yoosung woke up with the buzzing of his phone. It was Saturday and his alarm was off, which mean either someone was calling him or he lost the track of time. With half-open eyes, he picked the device from the table and brought it close to his face. His finals ended just the day before and he was in a much-needed sleep.

Several missed calls, most of them coming from Zen and Seven, the last one just a minute ago. He scratched his eyes, trying to wake up enough to remember how to read Korean. Quietly, he left his bed and headed to the bathroom.

Yoosung washed his face, the cold water shaking away the remains of sleep. He read the chat history from the past days. He hadn't been much active lately, his finals came and he had a very good reason to not fail them. He barely got the necessary grades, but he made it. Yawning, he saw that Saeyoung - even half a year later, he still struggled to use the former hacker's real name, not his alias - and Zen were online.

He joined the chat before they ended up knocking on his door.

~Yoosung has joined the chat.~

Saeyoung: YOOSUNG!

Saeyoung: You

Saeyoung: are

Saeyoung: ALIVE!

ZEN: What the hell happened to you?

ZEN: I didn't see you online in the whole week,

ZEN: and you didn't pick up calls.

Yoosung: I was studying for finals.

Yoosung: My phone died.

Yoosung: I only realised it before going to bed last night.

Saeyoung: R u ok?

Saeyoung: First u stopped LOLOL.

Saeyoung: Now ur taking ur studies srsly.

Saeyoung: Ur a surrogate!

Saeyoung: Where's the real Yoosung?!

Yoosung: is it so hard to believe-

Yoosung: that I am really studying?!

ZEN: Yes! Lmao

Yoosung: I didn't get a scholarship for nothing, y'know?

ZEN: a month ago you weren't even sleeping to get some super rare helmet

ZEN: now you don't even pick up your phone

ZEN: because you were studying?!

ZEN: if it's a joke, it's not a funny one

Yoosung huffed. If only they knew. He flushed the toilet and washed his hands, peeking at his bed while he dried them in a towel. They wouldn't know what hit them.

It happened before his midterms. After pulling another all-nighter playing LOLOL, he skipped all the morning classes. When he woke up, it was past two and he decided on skipping the rest of the day. He used that time to do the dishes, sweep the floor, clean the bathroom, change his bedding; things he usually ignored but had the urge to do that day. Unconsciously, his mind told him to get the house ready for the surprise visitor.

Around the time he would be getting home, the bell rang. At first, Yoosung ignored it, not used to his own bell ringing, his guests never came without previous notice. The last time someone showed up suddenly, it was his mother and, as much as he missed her, more than ever he valued his privacy. When the bell rang for the second time, he answered the door.

There was a girl - a pretty girl with blue eyes and soft features - outside his apartment. He forced his brain to remember where he knew her from. The worn-out yellow backpack was a giveaway.

"Higu… re?" he tried.

"Higurashi." He failed. "You didn't show up today."

Yoosung looked away. He was caught. Someone noticed his absence. Should be so happy about it? "How can I help you, Higurashi…"

"Kagome. Higurashi Kagome. And the question here is how can I help you, Kim?" Yoosung hated when someone called him by his last name. His father was Mr Kim. He was only Yoosung. "Why are you avoiding me? You ignored my friend request and my message request in Fakebook and didn't give me a second glance in the times I tried to talk to you in the past couple days!"

"I hadn't checked my Fakebook in months and I don't remember you trying to reach me in school at all."

He should have chosen better words.

"Am I that invisible? We've been sharing classes for three semesters and you don't even know who I am. Do you?" He didn't. She lowered her gaze, sighing. "Whatever. I knew it would be a waste of time. See you around, Kim. Try coming to school every once in a while for a change."

Yoosung bit his lip. Was he really doing that to people? Ignoring them without even realizing it? Wasn't he the one who said once that just greeting his neighbours made him feel a part of a community? Why was he pushing away someone who came all the way to his house without even knowing the reason behind it?

"Hey, Higurashi!" She turned. "Why did you come here?"

"Why did I-" She frowned. "The history report? Professor Lee assigned us the chapters six to twelve."

"Is it a group project?" She nodded. "And we are in the same group?"

"We are the group. It is supposed to be done in pairs."

"Why didn't you choose someone else?"

"No one chose me."

That's how Yoosung met the one who would occupy his mind and heart soon.

Sometimes Yoosung wondered how could Zen fall so quickly for someone. Everyone, Jaehee in special, noticed how drawn to MC Zen was barely a day after she mysteriously joined RFA chat - not so mysteriously now that they knew the true identity of Unknown. In less than a week, the actor was head over heels without even meeting MC face-to-face. Now he understood.

It took Yoosung five days to understand the perfect woman shared classes with him for nearly two years.

Kagome was fierce. And somewhat scaring. She didn't let him slack off on their project, but she was fair when assigning duties. She lived in the dorms and wasn't allowed to have guests in her room, therefore, she basically camped at his place every night until they finished the fifty pages report - they started a week late, after all.

In these days, Yoosung met her many faces. The sweet and cheerful Kagome was the most lovable human he ever met. There was sincerity when she asked about his day, not like others whom would say it just to be polite. She also worried about his grades - it made him pay more attention to his classes, if only for her peace of mind.

The serious Kagome sent chills down his spine. She had no qualms in bossing him around and maybe, just a little bit, Yoosung liked it more than he should.

Stressed Kagome also meant 'leave-me-alone Kagome' and he respected her space whenever that particular vein popped on her neck. A cup of latte coffee usually helped to bring back serious Kagome.

Like that, Yoosung felt empty when he clicked send to submit their report. He looked at Kagome sitting on his bed, finishing the now cold green tea he prepared while sorting her notes and books. He didn't want to see her only in classes, he wanted to hang out without the burden of the schoolwork on their backs.

Should he ask her out? Was it the right time to do it? Was he prepared for rejection? Would he be able to brush it off and stay as friends if she broke his heart?

"Ne, Yoosung-kun," her Japanese slipped whenever she was nervous, "do-do you like superhero movies?" Her face was red as a tomato and her accent was strong than ever. She looked at everywhere but him. "There's this new Revengers movie coming out this week…"

A 'date' turned into two, then three perfect 'dates'. In the fourth, he gathered his courage to hold her hand in public. In the fifth, Yoosung got his first kiss, an unforgettable goodnight kiss under the rain on her doorstep. Yoosung walked on cloud nine, throwing smiles everywhere and to everyone. He wanted the world to know his life complete now, that Kagome filled him with happiness. However, things were never at beginner difficulty for him.

It was a rainy afternoon that created the perfect atmosphere for a snuggling-under-blankets-while-watching-a-movie day. Deep down - and he was too embarrassed to admit it, even to himself - Yoosung hoped for a Netflix-and-chill day. When she wiggled her butt and cuddled against him, her body moulded against his and he had to think of Saeyoung in a fairy costume to not make a fool of himself.

He barely paid attention to the screen. Kagome's shirt lifted when she snuggled on him, giving Yoosung access to her stomach. He felt her smooth skin, her navel and ribs. She shivered when his thumb brushed her breast by accident. Yoosung held his breath.

Yoosung almost fell from the bed when his phone buzzed. It was a message from Jaehee inviting him to a dinner with the rest of the RFA. It was the perfect chance to introduce Kagome to them.

"Where do we stand?"

Yoosung's mind short-circuited. He wasn't expecting the question. The silence that followed her statement was only broken by the raindrops hitting his window. Yoosung needed a full minute to reply.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

Kagome shifted until she faced him. Her cheeks were stained with pink, her glare piercing into his soul.

"What are," Kagome's index finger pointed to herself, then to him, "we? We hang around, go on 'dates'." Emphasis on 'dates'. "Spend some quality time together, but…" She closed her eyes for a second. "What exactly I am to you?"

"Everything." His mouth said before his brain could stop him from being a hopeless romantic. The flow of words coming from his heart straight to his lips went on. "Everything I ever wanted in a girl. I mean, woman," he corrected once his brain function restarted. The blooming smile on her lips encouraged him. "I know a no-life with terrible academic scores like me isn't good enough to be the boyfriend of the foreign students' council president, but I'm hoping you already gave me a chance."

Kagome's expression shifted from gleeful to concerned. "I can't be your girlfriend. Not right now," she completed, probably seeing the desperation in his eyes and the little bits of his broken heart falling apart. "We have finals in half a month and I'll feel guilty if you don't pass them because you spent too much time with me." That last part she said so low he wasn't sure if it was for his ears or hers.

She saw his grades, he forgot the browser was opened when she borrowed his phone once. Which meant she knew how bad he went in midterms and how big were his chances to fail at least half of his subjects. He never thought his academic life would bring a problem to his love life. He never had a love life to worry about before.

He knew she didn't mean it, but someone in her rank couldn't be with someone below the average. Kagome deserved better, and Yoosung would be better. However, time was needed for him to raise his GPA. There was only one thing he could do immediately.

Yoosung grabbed Kagome's hands, her small fingers secured on his. "If I pass all my exams, will you be my girlfriend? I'll take you on a proper romantic date. We can have dinner, or I can cook for you! I'll look for Oden recipes. And we can go to that karaoke bar we've found the other day, or ice skating, you said you loved Yuri! On Ice."

"You will do that all… for me?"

"For myself, mostly. I want to be someone who you are proud having by your side. Don't look at me like that, it's not about you, Kagome," he removed a strand of hair falling on her face. "Higurashi Kagome, will you be my pre girlfriend?"

For the next days, Yoosung spent more time in the library than at home, going back only to shower and sleep. He borrowed Kagome's notes and used them to guide him through the syllabus. LOLOL? Not even once. He only checked the messenger in the morning and before going to bed. Only one thing broke his concentration.

Kagome stood by his side all the time.

She was his silent companion at the library and the one to make him laugh and break the tension of long hours buried in books. He refused her proposition to tutor him. Nevertheless, he wasn't sure if he would have made it without her moral support.

The last exam finally came and gone. Yoosung found Kagome waiting for him at the cafeteria - she handed the test much earlier than him and certainly did well. His soon-to-be girlfriend looked at him expectantly.

"I don't know…" he said, looking down. Kagome frowned, her eyes full of disbelief. "Dinner or movie first?"

"Baka! I almost had a heart attack!"

"Sorry, sorry!" He threw her backpack over his shoulder and linked their arms, blushing at his own sudden boldness. Kagome didn't seem to mind. "You should have seen your face. You're so cute."

"You'll see who's cute," she murmured. "Anyhow, I was thinking… we could… stay at home today… you know… together." The last part came in a whisper.

Yoosung didn't get it at first. "What about our date?"

Kagome's cheeks burned. "We can enjoy our night… as boyfriend and girlfriend." Her grip on his arm tightened. "If you want…"

Did she even have to ask?

Next part: Smut

I've been warned.