Ups and Downs - L.Taeyong
Pairing(s) - Taeyong x GN!Reader, slight Yuta x GN!Reader at the start
Genre(s) - University!AU, Fluff, slight Angst
Warnings - swearing, academic rivalry (not with Taeyong or Yuta), reader has a meltdown during a presentation
Summary - You were thankful for group projects in college, but only when you were paired with your crush, Yuta, and quiet art major, Taeyong. When presentation day disaster strikes, you discover who truly sees your worth beneath the chaos of university life and academic rivals.
Author's Note - This is inspired by a dream I had about three years ago when I was in the midst of changing my majors and ultimately seeking academic validation and I’m sure a lot of this will show through the fic haha
Prompt: “Are you jealous?”
Now playing: Ups & Downs - Taeyong, She Looks So Perfect - 5 Seconds of Summer
You sighed in exhaustion, leaning back in your chair and stretching while closing your eyes, letting them rest from all the hours of staring at your laptop screen. You had spent hours on your assignments, but the work never seemed to end. You were starting to question if this business degree was worth all of the long, tired nights.
It was worth it when you got to have class with, in your opinion, one of the most handsome men on campus, Nakamoto Yuta. The fourth-year communications major had an air about him that was so enchanting. He carried himself with so much confidence and charm that it was impossible not to look at him as he strode through the hallways, his bold fashion sense posing a stark contrast to the bleak beige walls.
Initially, you were upset about having to take a lower-level business marketing class as you were already well into your degree, but your academic advisor informed you it was mandatory, especially since you had intended to finish your degree in business with a focus on marketing specifically. You already knew all the concepts the course covered, and for that, you hated coming to class, feeling as if it was a waste of time. But whenever Yuta showed up, you thought perhaps this class wasn’t all that bad.
You all but choked on air when your professor announced that you would be in the same group as him for the final project. But that excitement quickly faded as he stated the name of the next person to be in your group. Clara, your academic rival from the very start of your college career. She had been in so many of your business-related classes, and quite frankly, you were sick of her. She, too, was a business major, but unlike you, she had a focus in public relations, making her all the more better at manipulating people and playing them in just the right way to get exactly what she wanted.
You felt your irritation bubbling in your chest, the intensity of it ringing through your ears, almost loud enough for you to nearly miss the name of the last person in your group. Lee Taeyong. You knew him, the fourth-year graphic design major, but you had never spoken to him. You had no idea what an art major could be doing in this course meant for a business major, though you weren’t one to critique others and their academic path seeing as you could barely cope with your own.
