back to me - lee jeno x fem reader smau
The party was already full when Yn and her friends arrived. She stepped inside with Karina and Ningning, while Giselle trailed behind with Winter, making sure the shorter girl didn't get swept away by the people. Keeho moved to a corner full of drinks with Taesan while the girls stuck on their own. No one said a word. But they knew that the guys would come back if something happened.
Yn didn't dress to impress. She dressed to remind. Hair down, curled at the end with soft makeup applied - more on the natural side, nothing heavy. Her outfit was simple yet it made people stare. She wasn't trying to be noticed. She just was.
Across the room however - in the corner where the lights were dimmed and the drinks were stronger - Jeno saw her.
Mid-conversation with her friends, cup in hand, laughing at something Ningning said.
His focus on her lingered as the music in the background seemed to soften. The only thing he could hear was his heart beating.
He saw the way her eyes crinkled at the corners as a soft smile bloomed on her lips.
"She's not gonna bite you, dude." Jaemin nudged his friend once. Jeno didn't answer, just kept on staring.
"Just talk to her or something," Jaemin urged as Jeno was still busy staring. Then - their eyes locked despite being so distanced.
Even across the crowd - under the haze of moving lights and voices - Jeno felt that familiar tightening feeling in his chest. The way it always happened when she looked at hin.
She didn't look surprised, bitter or smug. She just smiled, genuinely. Soft, playful...amused almost. Lips barely moving, she mouthed;
"Like the party?" And giggled lightly. Like she was in on some inside joke the world had forgotten. Before he could even react, she turned away - casually joining her circle again.
Now, both guys were stunned. "Did she flirt with you...?" He mumbled. Jeno stood there - heart racing, jaw clenched - wondering how she always did that. How she always made him feel like that.
The party kept going. People were restless, dancing harder, laughing louder. Jeno hadn't really heard a single song since that smile. The one she aimed at him intentionally.
He was still standing near the living room when Jaemin left to get more drinks, but the noise got too loud. He felt like he needed a break - more like space and fresh air.
He moved through the crowd, past a couple making out near the coat rack, and into the quieter hallway towards the bathroom. That's when he saw her. Yn.
Pinned against the wall beside a half-open bedroom door, eyes heavy with alcohol and limbs slack with exhaustion. A guy - tall, unfamiliar - was leaning too close, one hand braced above her head, the other gesturing too eagerly as he talked.
She was smiling, but the kind that didn't reach her eyes. The kind that said "leave me alone" without her needing to actually say anything, but he seemed to not get the hint.
Then, he grabbed her wrist. She pushed back - not hard, not harsh, just enought to try and move away - but she swayed slightly.
Too much tequila. Too little strength. That was all it took.
"Hey." Jeno's voice was sharp but not too loud. The guy paused, surprised as he glanced at the taller male.
"Is she with your or something..?"
"She doesn't need to be." He replied, firm. The guy scoffed and backed off, muttering something under his breath before slipping back into the party. Yn blinked up at Jeno, half-lidded and dazed. For a second, she just stared. Like she wasn't sure if he was really there.
Then, with a soft and tired smile, she whispered, "I'm tired..."
Jeno exhaled. "Come on. I got you." He reached out gently.
Jeno guided her down the hallway, hand steady on her lower back, carefully avoiding the drunks. He opened the door to an empty study room and let her sit on the small couch inside, dimly lit by a lamp no one bothered to turn off.
She flopped down with a quiet "oof," then blinked up at him, her lashes slow and heavy. "Youโre so serious," She mumbled, poking his knee with one finger. "Youโve always been so serious."
Jeno knelt slightly in front of her, brows drawn. "Where are your friends, Yn?" She blinked again, then squinted like she had to think really hard.
"Karina'sโฆprobably making out with someone with sharp cheekbones." She giggled. "I told her not to trust a man in rings but here we are."
Jeno gave a tight breath of a laugh despite himself. "Okay. What about the others?"
"Gone. Dead. Dancing. Who knows," She waved vaguely, then tilted her head, really looking at him. He was trying not to look back. But she was still glowing. Still soft in a way he hadnโt seen since the late nights and whispered phone calls.
Then, almost dreamily, she whispered, "You're really pretty." That made him freeze. His throat bobbed slightly. "You're drunk."
"Mhm," she hummed, not denying it. "But itโs true." She reached out - not touching him, just hovering her hand like she wasnโt sure if she was allowed. "You always looked like trouble. But the good kind. The kind I wanted to get lost in."
Jeno didnโt know what to say. Didnโt know if he should stop her. Didnโt know if he wanted to. And then - suddenly, softly - she leaned forward and kissed him. No warning. No buildup. Just the warmth of her lips against his, gentle and unsure and heartbreaking all at once.
It wasnโt a confession. It wasn't forgiveness. It was her memory of him meeting the present - all messy and aching and drunk at 2AM.
When she pulled back, her forehead lingered close to his, eyes half-lidded. "I miss not missing you," she mumbled.
And then she swayed again - light-headed, fading - and leaned her head against his shoulder like the moment never even happened.
Jeno sat there frozen, her breath soft against his collarbone, his heart thudding like it had no idea what to do with itself. Yn's head rested against Jenoโs shoulder for a while, the buzz of the party distant now - muffled by the closed door and the heavy beat of her own breathing.
He didnโt move. Didnโt speak. Just watched the way her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her sleeve, like part of her was still somewhere else. Then she lifted her head.
Eyes a little glassy, lips parted, she blinked at him like sheโd just remembered where they were. "Jeno," She whispered.
He turned to her slowly, careful. "Yeah?" She didnโt say anything for a moment. Then she leaned forward again - slower this time, more deliberate - her hand grazing his jaw, thumb trailing lightly across his cheek.
And she kissed him. It was soft. Lingering. A little desperate. But this time, Jeno did something.
He reached up gently - warm palms framing her shoulders - and pushed back. Not harsh. Not sudden. Just enough. "Ynโฆ" he murmured.
"Why won't you kiss me?" She pouted softly. "Youโre not sober." He replied.
She blinked, confused. "But I want to-"
"I know," he said softly. "I do too." He looked away then, jaw tight.
Ynโs breath caught in her throat. She blinked down, her lashes brushing her cheekbones as her drunk haze turned a little heavier. "โฆI wanna go home," She mumbled, voice cracking just slightly.
Jeno stood without hesitation. "Iโll take you." She didnโt argue. Just let him help her up, her balance unstable, so she just let herself lean into the arm he offered.
But when he didnโt turn toward the front door, she looked up in confusion. "Where are we going?"
"My dorm," He said quietly.
She didnโt say anything after that. Just held onto his sleeve a little tighter as they walked out the back exit - away from the noise, away from the crowd, and into the quiet of a night neither of them would forget. She felt safe with him, always have.
