Archive of Our Own

it all starts off with a comment that yuta makes as he sits beside you, coming from concessions, an unsalted pretzel with a side of cheese in a small plastic package in his right hand.

"their captain is hot as fuck." the dark haired man mentions, nudging the pretzel at you and you wave your hand dismissively. "I would love to climb that tree."

"that's because you're a whore." you shake your head, eyes following yuta's to meet the captain.

from the roster you were handed when you came into the arena, his name is Johnny Suh, he's 6 feet, the position he takes is labeled "defensive specialist "and he hails all the way from Chicago, Illinois.

as your brother's team comes out, yuta rises to his feet, waiting for mark's name to be called as he comes down the line of volleyball players before cheering for his closest friend.

the game progresses and yuta is on the edge of his seat, and for some odd reason, you cannot stop yourself for staring at Johnny. you watch with wide eyes each time he serves and the ball flies over the net, or when he uses his tall height to block the ball from reaching their side. you can tell by the way he plays that he plays because he enjoys it, not because he wants to win, unlike your brother.

johnny laughs a bit harder when he misses a ball completely, lying on the floor for a few seconds before his teammates rush over to help him up, or trying his hardest not to laugh whenever he makes a small mistake. he plays to have fun, not to compete with others. Mark on the other hand, plays to win, he's determined to play like it's the last game he'll ever play.

in the end, marks' team beats the opposing by only 5 points, which you give the other team props for, because they were a really great.

yuta and you follow out of the arena and wait up for mark. when the opposing team files out of the doors near the locker room, Johnny catches your wandering eyes, giving you a light smile. You return the same smile with a low blush creeping onto your cheeks that has yuta digging his elbow into your side.

"he's totally into you!" yuta nearly squeals when Johnny's out of sight.

"all he did was smile at me." you state.

"he stared at you first! then smiled." he corrects.

"you are delusional."

"of course you would know what that looks like."

"anyways, there's not a chance I'll see him again.. he's from chicago."

or so you thought.

it's the third week of the fall semester when mark tells you that he's bringing over a couple of his teammates to your shared apartment. you tell him that's alright and decide to hang out in your room and do some unfinished homework.

as you lock your laptop after completeing an assignment that took you over an hour to do, you find your throat dry and grab your cup, heading into the kitchen.

you hear a few voices chattering in the living room as you turn on the faucet. as you turn it off and open the fridge to get ice you miss the way Johnny enters the kitchen.

the door to a cabinet opening sparks your attention, jerking you backwards a bit before spinning around to meet no one other than someone who looks awfully familiar.

"oh! sorry!" he mutters, pulling the cup from the cupboard." totally didn't mean to startle you like that, just grabbing a cup."

nodding your head, you turn back, swooping up a few ice cubes and then dropping them into your cup.

you're about to head back to your room when he calls out to you.

"hey!"

you stop. "yes?"

"you must be mark's sister." he questions. "right?"

you hum in response.

"didn't know mark had such a pretty sister."

playfully, you roll your eyes. "don't let him hear you.."

Johnny turns on the faucet you assume, hearing the trickling of water hit the sink. "I remember you, you came to the game during the summertime... I saw you in the hallway by the locker room."

"and I remember seeing you." you smile, looking over at him. "you changed your hair."

he sighs, running a hand through his dark tresses. "yeah, got tired of the blonde and decided to go back natural."

"it looks good on you." you compliment him and now it's his turn to blush.

"your hair also went through a color change" he adds, referring to the now long blonde curls you were sporting. "blonde looks really good on you."

twirling a strand you ask him. "you think so? mark think it looks odd"

"mark is odd." he replies.

"that he is." you agree. "by the way, what are you doing here? Mark told me that he was inviting his teammates over and if I remember correctly, you don't go to school here."

"I do now." he tells you, taking another sip from his water. "over the summer, the school reached out to me and even gave a better scholarship than my previous one, so I transferred here."

"anddddd your name is..?"

he extends his free hand out. "Johnny, Johnny Suh."

Johnny Suh.

the next time you see Johnny is unexpected, and you can tell by the double look he does, that it's unexpected on his part as well.

Doyoung waves his hand in front of your face, bringing you back to your conversation you were having with him. "hello! did you hear me?"

"what?" you asked, turning back to him. "what's going on again?"

letting out an annoyed sigh, doyoung flips back into his seat. "nevermind, your mind is far focused on Johnny than your best friend, it's okay, I understand."

"soooo you wouldn't care if I rushed over and talked to Johnny, right?" you ask, batting your eyelashes at him. "I just wanna know why he's here."

the younger doesn't answer you, just waves his hand and you loom over to hug him tightly before jumping up.

Johnny has the same mindset as you, meeting you halfway in the lecture hall. "are you stalking me?"

you scoff lightly. "you showed up at my house and now you're in my class, are you stalking me?"

a grin breaks out onto his lips. "maybe."

"mark would hate you for life."

"not scared of mark." he retorts, leaning a bit closer towards you. "you would be worth it though."

rolling your eyes you push johnny back. "I'm pretty sure the girls around here are going to love that."

"does that include you?"

again, you roll your eyes. "like I said, my brother would definitely kill you, if he thinks you're flirting with his sister."

"and I like said." he inches near, lowering down to meet your height. "I'm not scared of mark."

you're about to respond when someone calls Johnny's name from afar and he turns to see who it is.

"duty calls, princess." he tells you, offering you a light smirk as he leaves the lecture hall.

doyoung is still sitting at your normal spot when you walk back over and take a seat. "he most certainly likes you."

"Mark is gonna kill me, then him."

"Mark is harmless." doyoung corrects. "he can't even beat haechan."

this has you side eyeing him. "Mark may not be able to mentally beat haechan, but he has proven many, many times that he can do it physically."

he shakes his head. "Johnny will flatten Mark like a pancake."

"then I'll have to flatten him cause he hurt my brother."

"so then do the right thing." doyoung suggests. "slice the head off the dragon now before its too late."

Even though his analogy is outdated you understand what he means and that has you grimacing back into your chair.

you like Johnny, you really do and you can tell that he's definitely interested in you but you've seen how things like this have played out and you don't want that to happen so you must stop liking Johnny and keep him at arm's length.

Johnny just has to make it incredibly hard for you.

It starts off with the t-shirt that he sports to the class you two share, the shirt barely visible alongside his tanned abs that you have looming over the moon. You remember him having a couple of tattoos before but now his right arm was covered in a sleeve of them and you can't help but gulp when he flexes his biceps almost unconsciously.

not only is Johnny hot, but incredibly smart. He speaks about 3 languages, English, Japanese, and a bit of Korean from what he tells the class during your introductions. He's a Sports Administration major and had a perfect 4.3 GPA. he does community service at a local animal hospital and is an active member in the campus' run club as well.

doyoung nudges you as Johnny finishes up. "okay nevermind what I said the other day, SNATCH HIM UP."

you spare a glance at doyoung, before switching and looking towards johnny as he sits down. "and what made you switch sides for him?"

"He's a sport major with a 4.3 GPA, VOLUNTEERS AT AN ANIMAL HOSPITAL and he's very good looking" he emphasize on the volunteering. "if you don't go after him, I will."

"You don't even like men."

he shrugs his shoulders. " I might just fold for him.. you never know."

later on in the day, you grab a double shot espresso from the vending machine before sitting in the sports library and getting some of your homework done.

usually you like to sit on the second floor of the library but since that space is a pretty popular one around this time of day, you opt for the spaces near the windows.

the window of the building are nearly transparent or so you think.

outside the window it looks as if a small burmilla cat with huge blue eyes is staring at you when you look over to take a break. you tilt your face and the cat does the same, just in the opposite direction.

you're about to take a quick picture and send it to a friend when you notice something about the cat.

now you've never been a cat person before having grown up with a dog that mark "accidentally" let escape through the backyard fence, but you were sure that no cat should have a plethora of thorns sinking into its left paw and causing the cat look a bit disoriented.

so, after coaxing the cat to come near you (you had a much easier time than expected and you take that as a win), you take said cat to the animal hospital that's close by.

the receptionist is around your age if not a slight bit older, she has medium length dark hair and the graphic tee she's wearing is from the group MCR (my chemical romance). You approach her, giving her the condition of the cat who has snuggled into your shoulder as you brought it in.

the woman is more than happy to get the cat some help and tells you have a seat near the door.

you find yourself petting the cat in your arms almost unconsciously, and they begin purring which makes you want to sleep. your eyes become a bit droopy after a few minutes but it's ruined when a door open and someone's calling for your name.

you almost think you recognize said voice but you're pretty sure you don't.

that is until you open your eyes and the person who owns said voice is shaking his head at you.

"now I'm sure you are stalking me." he jokes, approaching you slowly.

"i—I not stalk-king you, Johnny." you stutter.

the cat must sense the way your body tenses up when johnny comes near because it digs its face into your shoulder, moving lazily back and forth before you realize that you might be hurting it.

"I'm just kidding, let's go back to see what's wrong with this little one." referring to the cat.

as you lower the cat down onto the table, it hisses at Johnny, moving closer towards you, almost defensively.

Johnny raises an eyebrow. "that's a first."

you can't help but smile, petting the cat again. "what, usually everyone just adores you, right?"

"I don't make the rules."

Johnny slips on a pair of gloves and asks you lift the cat up so he can examine it.

"isn't that like dangerous, they could get scared at any moment and attack me." you mutter, but do as he asked.

the cat in question stares down at you, almost as confused as to why you are lifting it in the air and Johnny is touching it.

"he has a bunch of thorns in his paw, you said that you saw him around the sports library?" Johnny asks.

"yeah, i was just sitting there doing some homework, looked at the window to take a break and noticed it. I was about to take a picture to send to a friend when I noticed how lopsided he was.."

"Well I'm glad that you did." johnny breathes and lets go of the cat, allowing for you to bring him back down. "Those thorns have been in his paw for a while now and since it's the front left one, he's bound to be in a lot of pain... which is odd despite the fact that he came with you."

"What do you mean?"

Johnny takes off his gloves, setting them down before grabbing his pen and clipboard. "usually cats are very sensitive to pain, if they're hurting, they won't let you touch them so easily, I'm not saying that they're all like that, but a vast majority of them are, and these one especially aren't too fond of pain..."

"well he just came to me when i came outside." you mumble, touching his mane again. "I hated seeing him in pain, I almost cried."

"well don't cry.. we'll get him the right help, I promise."

Johnny sighs looking at the way your mouth forms into a frown and your lips pout as you continue to stroke the cat in your arms. "I'll be right back."

"whe-where are you going!?" you ask, sounding more worried to be left alone rather than curious.

"I just need to do a couple of things and I'll be back." he promises with a smile on his lips before leaving the room.

"jesus, this girl is going to be the death of me." he mumbles, walking into backroom where they keep all the important things.

"you mean the girl with the burmilla cat?" Jane, the receptionist, asks Johnny, also walking into the same room. "Never thought you'd be interested in girls like her."

Johnny tilts his head, searching for a specific bottle of an anesthesia for the cat. "what do you mean, girls like her? she's a nice person."

"that's how they look from the outside. all nice and innocent, but once you really get to know her, you'll wish you didn't" Jane scoffs. "I can't believe she would stoop that low to get to you."

"I'm lost." Johnny sighs, stopping his search and turning to meet Jane's dark brown irises. "What are you implying?"

"That she hurt the cat itself and came here, seeming helpless and in need of your attention. That's what I'm implying. There's a ton of animal hospitals around here and she chose this one? and you two just happen to know each other?"

This time Johnny scoffs, causing Jane to suck her teeth. "what?"

"You don't know her like I do.. and your jealously is showing."

"I'm not jealous. why would i be?"

"because you've been throwing yourself at me since I got here and I've never looked at you that way, and you know I won't."

"don't flatter yourself, suh."

"ah!" Johnny exclaims. "found it!" leaving Jane in the backroom by herself.

when he comes back into the room, you're still holding onto the cat as it tramples around your neck and onto your shoulders.

"I am not a jungle gym, sir." you tell him, attempting to pry his claws out of your shirt and putting him into your lap instead, but he has other plans, turning over in your lap and playing with your hair.

"cat's have a very short attention span when it comes to things like this." Johnny tells you, reminding you that he came back.

"he's cute and all, but mark is allergic to cats, so sadly I can't keep him." you frown, giving the cat your sleeve for him to play with. "I feel so bad just having to give him up and I'm already so attached and it's been an hour."

an idea pops into Johnny's brain as he shakes the bottle of anesthesia. "I could always adopt him, that way you could see him whenever you wanted."

Johnny's heart races as you look up at him like he's given you the best christmas present in the entire world. "Really!? You'd do that!?"

"why not.. I've been looking to get an animal and my roommate Yuta loves cats."

"yu-yuta?" you question.

Johnny nods his head. "yeah, my roommates name is Yuta..

you shake your head, laughing before a light sigh. "is his last name nakamoto?"

"yeah, he's from Japan."

"that sly bastard." you mumble.

"Do you know him?"

"He's my best friend." you exhale. "unfortunately."

"Well he's been talking about getting a pet for a while, so maybe we could adopt this cat for you." Johnny suggests, missing the way you squeal in excitement.

"You would do that!?" You ask. "Seriously!?"

The male shrugs. "why not, it would be perfect and you could come over to visit the cat whenever you wanted."

As Johnny begins to get the needle for the injection, he smiles hearing you speak in the same voice would use for a small child.

"you're gonna get adopted! and and I'm gonna see you all the time and Johnny and Yuta are gonna take care of you!!." you tell the cat, tickling his stomach. "you're gonna be so loved, yes you are."

After the procedure if finished and Jane comes in to wrap up the cat's paw, you and Johnny stand outside the office together.

Johnny is signing the adoption documents and you're still holding the cat who has fallen asleep during the whole process. "What do you want to name him?"

"what?" you tilt your head. "I thought you would've given him a name, you're th eonly adopting him, aren't you?

He chuckles." But you're basically his mother, I think his mother should be the one to name him, don't you?"

He's right.

"kibou!" you exclaim, causing Johnny to flinch a bit at the suddeness.

"ki-bou? why that name?"

"it means hope in Japanese. I've always loved it. Yuta taught me actually."

Johnny writes it down on the paper. "Kibou, it is."

Mark gives you an odd look when you burst into the apartment, screaming his name over his game.

"markie, markie, markie!" you call, jumping in front of him as he pauses his game on the television screen. "guess what I did!"

"what, did, you do?" mark asks which sound cautious than he meant.

"i adopted a kitty!" you cheer, shaking his shoulders as you do. "his name is kibou, which means hope in japanese and he has the biggest, cutest, most adorable crystal-"

"YOU DID WHAT!" he exclaims. "You adopted a cat!?"

you nod your head, about to start speaking again but mark rushing to his feet and pushing you about 30 feet from him and holding his shirt over his nose as you do, has you silent.

"where is that damn thing? please tell me you didn't bring it home with you." mark sighs, covering his nose. "you're fucking crazy like that."

"with Johnny" you simply tell him, shoving his hands off your shoulders. "i found the cat and i know you're allergic but I was too attached to kibou already, so johnny adopted him, so i can see him whenever I want."

mark blinks a few times at the words coming out of your mouth. "So, what you are saying is that Johnny adopted a cat because of you??"

"that's exactly what i'm saying.. I think its very sweet that he and yuta are going to be taking care of my kibou."

"he's really lost it, hasn't he?" mark mumbles, dragging his feet back to the couch to grab his phone.

"what are you doing?" you question, raising an eyebrow as he begins to type. "don't text Johnny!"

"he adopted a cat for you?" mark repeats, not even sparing you a glance. "I told him to back off you."

"mark!" you screech. "he only adopted the cat because I didn't want to part with it because of your stupid allergies, that's all there is."

your brother snatches away from you when you reach out to grab his phone out of his hands. "you could've given the damn thing to haechan or something, not someone who definitely doesn't have his head on straight."

"stop acting like you're the one that's older!" you tell mark, successfully getting the phone from his hands, but it's too late, the message has already been sent.

"god, I am not a child, mark! I can make my own choices."

"I'm fully aware of that, but Johnny doesn't need to be one of those choices."

"You can't make that for me, I have to make it for myself."

mark shrugs before picking up his control. "whatever, I'm tired of talking to you, so leave me alone."

when your eyes make contact with Johnny's during your shared class, he offers somewhat of a lopsided smile before turning his head back to the professor.

"I swear mark is gonna die one of these days." you mumble with doyoung picks up.

"what did he do now?"

"Johnny adopted a cat for me because Mark is allergic, and Mark got mad and sent Johnny a message." You explain. "and its' like I've been iced out by Johnny, now."

"What type of message?"

your shoulders raise. "a threat, possibly, but Johnny should overlook that, we're coparenting... right now."

doyoung raises an eyebrow. "coparenting?"

"kibou." you nod. "the cat. Johnny told me that i could come visit him whenever I wanted too and he and yuta would take care of him."

"i feel bad for kibou then."

"why?"

"he's a child that's parents are basically divorced."

"don't say that! kibou has a great mother and father! even an amazing uncle! he's going to be just fine."

its doyoung's turn to raise his shoulders at your words. "whatever you say, I hope you guys don't give kibou trauma."

after class, you find the courage (along with doyoung's constant reminder of kibou's family dynamics) to call for Johnny as he's packing away his things.

He offers you a soft smile when you approach him. "What's up?"

"I'm sorry about mark." you sigh out. "I told him about Kibou and he-"

Johnny chuckles, which visible relieves you. "don't apologize, he's only being protective, I understand that."

"but I don't want us to stop talking to each other, Kibou needs a mom and a dad." you state, pulling out your phone. "give me your number, that way i can visit him and we can communicate."

he takes your phone. "this was a very subtle way to ask me for my phone number."

your cheeks heat up at the accusation and it causes Johnny's smile to form into a grin. "I'm not trying to get your number, Johnny."

"sure you aren't.." he smirks. "just like you're not blushing right now."

for added effect, he takes his left hand and cups your cheek, feeling the heat radiating from your cheek onto his palm. "I know it's easy to fall for me."

"you are such an ass." you laugh, shoving his hand away from your face." give me back my phone, so i can go."

"you mean this phone?" he questions, raising the device above his head, a playful grin forming on his lips.

"johnny!" you whisper. "give it back!"

"I am." he waves it in the air. "you're just so short, princess."

you attempt to pull his arm down, but he laughs when you barely move it from its place. "stop being an asshole."

"why would I do that?" he asks. "you're so cute when you're flustered."

and you can't help it, but it's easy to fall for Johnny and you feel yourself allowing it to happen.

evenutally johnny invites you to his apartment and when you knock on the door, Yuta answers the door. "oh god, not you." he mutters.

"shut up and let me inside." you tell him, pushing past him and entering the apartment. "I can't believe you, you know that right?"

"unfortunately he's straight, so don't worry." yuta breathes. "learned that the hard way."

"that's what you're crazy ass gets then." you laugh. "how did you even end up being roommates? did you stalk him?"

"god no." yuta scoffs. "He got in contact with mark and told him he was looking to live off campus and needed a roommate, and I just happened to be doing the same and now here we are."

"lucky ass." you roll your eyes, taking a seat next to kibou down on the couch. "by the way, where is your roommate now?"

"he's taking a shower, it'll be a while, so make yourself at home." the long haired japanese boy tells you. "I have to get to class but I'll see you around."

you don't remember when you fell asleep but you do remember hearing kibou's purrs taken over the quietness of the living room and slowly relaxing into the boys very soft couch.

Johnny barely recognizes the person sleeping when he comes into the living room, spotting you and kibou sleeping together on the couch almost peacefully.

it takes all of his physical restraint to not run back to grab his phone and snap a picture for his memories, like he could ever forget this anyways.

you only stir around about an hour later, feeling kibou take a huge stretch in your lap before jumping onto the floor and wandering away.

when you recognize a door open and kibou walking into the room, you realize that Johnny must be done with his shower and had been waiting on you.

"johnny?" you call out from the couch. "are you in there?"

"yeah, I'm here." he responds. "how was your nap?"

you scratch the back of your head. "my bad, kibou just came into my lap and start purring and then I felt sleepy and then I—"

"—you aren't bothering me at all. I needed get a few things done anyways, so im sorry for keeping you waiting."

Moments later, he and kibou who's turning over in his arms are finding their way into the living room.

Johnny feels around the pockets of his sweat pants before touching his keys. "you ready?"

"for?"

"It's a surprise." he tells you, handing off kibou to you. "we need to take kibou with us."

"johnny..." you start

"trust me."

you frown but stand on your feet. "okay."

the drive to whenever you're going doesn't take long. just on the outskirts of campus and you seem to recognize all the food chains nearby that you hasn't noticed before.

you stop in front of a store that has huge red letters spelling out 'Petsmart'

"What is this place?"

"you've never been here?" he questions. "oh, yeah, you've never had a pet before, so you probably won't know, I'm sorry."

there isn't a certain distinction between mocking you or genuinely feeling sorry for you.

kibou plays with the ends of your blonde hair as Johnny quickly explains what petsmart is.

he leads you to the back of the store where he tells someone he has a package and then his name.

shortly after they bring out a small gold box done up pretty with a nice cute black bow. johnny hands you the box, coaxing kibou out of your arms and into his, exchanging you the box for the cat.

looking up at Johnny, you open the box to find a small beige tag inside. "what's this?"

"a cat tag.. or collar." Johnny smiles. "it works with find my phone as well, so after we put it on kibou and set it up, you'll be able to see him where he is, if he ever gets lost again."

Johnny doesn't expect for you to throw your arms around him (momentarily squishing kibou) and let out a huge "thank you!" inside the store. but he's definitely not opposed to it.

"my number is on the front and yours is on the back, just in case something where to happen and the person that has him can't reach one of us."

yuta is standing in front of the dining room table, when the two of you come back to his apartment. "what the hell is that?" referring to the box of decorative flowers sitting on it.

Johnny tilts his head while shrugging his shoulders. "no clue."

"you must have an admirer or something." Yuta jokes, catching the way you tense up, holding kibou in your arms.

A small sigh falls from Johnny's lips as he reads the note attached with the flowers.

"So who are they from?" Yuta furthers, folding his arms across his chest.

"Just my aunt." Johnny tells them, grabbing the box. "My mom must've sent her my address."

"they're really nice." you comment

"indeed." yuta smiles. "maybe your aunt can send me flowers next time."

"for what?" Johnny scoffs lightly

"for existing, that itself is pretty flower giving worthy."

this causes all of you guys to laugh.

Johnny then offers to make some food and you take him up on the deal, giving you more time to spend with Kibou before you had to head home.

He tells you to check out his room for toys for Kibou while he starts cooking.

You and Kibou find yourself in Johnny's room a while after. Posters of people you assume are famous volleyball players surround his room and you can tell that he's recently cleaned his room. The sheets on his king sized bed have been changed and there aren't any creases in them, his pillows are aligned perfectly alongside the headboard. Papers of his homework sit beside his laptop on his desk, neatly stacked.

Kibou jumps out of your arms, wobbling towards the large box next to Johnny's closet, which you assumed was his toy box by the way Kibou leaps into said box and brings out a small ball with a bell inside.

The two of you kick around the ball inside the room and then kibou knocks his entire body into it, sending it flying into the hallway.

you find it near the garbage can in one of their bathrooms, and you're about to reach down to grab it when you notice a piece of crumped paper sitting next to it.

after grabbing the paper and smoothing it out, you recognize it being the note that Johnny had with his flowers. The words written are "the only man who has stolen my heart is you."
it takes a few seconds for your brain to realize that this was a note from someone johnny must be very intimate with and there was no way this was from his aunt. Then you also realize that Johnny lied about the note, meaning it probably wasn't your place to be in his business, or question why he lied.

So you do what you think is best, tear the paper into small pieces and scatter them inside the garbage can, grabbing the ball and tossing it into the hallway for Kibou.

Yuta can sense the tension at the three of you sit at the dining room table.

Johnny also notices that you're ignoring him. you've barely looked at him the entire time, and you played with your food while talking to Yuta.

You're spacing out more than he cares to notice, you haven't spoken to him and when he does speak to you, you change the subject, directing the conversation back to yuta so he can respond.

When you excuse yourself, Yuta and Johnny exchange glances at each other. The sound of the bell on Kibou's becomes faint as he follows you into Johnny's room.

"okay, was it just me or is she mad at me?" johnny breathes out.

"she's definitely mad at you." yuta nods. "what did you do?"

the older raises his shoulders, folding his arms across his chest. "I didn't do anything."

"then I don't know-" yuta starts but the sound of Johnny's bedroom door opening back up stops him.

"I have to get home." You tell them. "mark's waiting up for me and it's late."

"you could stay the night if you want." Johnny suggests. "it's l-"

"my brother is waiting for me to get home." you repeat, shuffling around your pockets until you find your keys. "I'll see you guys later."

"at least let me walk you out-" Johnny attempts to say, standing up from his seat, but you're quick to rush out the door before he can stop you.

Mark can sense something is off about you when finally arrive home. You don't even look at him when you come in as he sits at the kitchen table, nose deep in his textbook. When he can tell the differences in you, he likes to call it his brotherly instinct.

"Where did you go?"

"to Johnny's." you answer flatly. "to visit Kibou."

"the last time you came from over there, you couldn't stop screeching like a little girl, and now you're quiet... what happened?"

You shake your head, setting your jacket upon the coat rack. "Just exhausted, it's been a long day."

"That sounds extremely convincing.." mark deadpans. "If Johnny did anything, you have to tell me, I'm your brother and it's my responsibility—"

"Mark!" You shout, earning a flinch from the younger boy. "Didn't I just say I was fucking tired? So why don't you just fuck off and leave me be."

Mark raises his hands up in protest, watching you grumble into your bedroom and slam your door shut in rebuttal.

You have zero idea what overcame you within the last few hours as you finally step into the steaming shower you've been needing. It's like ever since you found out that Johnny basically lied to you, and Yuta's face, you wondered what else he could lie to you about.

It's not like you haven't lied about anything in your life and if Johnny lied about it, it was possibly for the best anyway. Yet, it seemed to still fuel some rancid part about yourself. You didn't mean to ignore Johnny during the meal he cooked, after all, he took the time out to get kibou a very nice collar, offer to make you food, and ever tried to be a gentleman and walk you to you car, etc

as you check your phone after getting out of the shower, you notice you have a message left by Johnny.

you find yourself turning your phone over and going to your vanity, grabbing your blow dryer and beginning to dry your hair.

the next morning, you and doyoung are near the campus coffee house when yuta sees you from afar and calls out to you. You stop in your tracks, turning to find him up towards you. "hey" you smile. "what are you doing here?"

he gestures towards the latte in his left hand. "you know that i can't live without coffee."

you nod." figures. it's like that."

doyoung's elbow rams inside your side, making you hiss.

"what the hell?"

"who is he?" he whispers.

"yuta, this is my friend Doyoung, Doyoung this is my best friend and also, Johnny's roommate, Yuta.." you introduce the two.

Doyoung's face become flushed as Yuta flashes him a grin, extending his hand out for Doyoung to shake.

The three of you find a table to sit at and you pull out your laptop, attempting to check over missing assignments when Yuta closes the laptop. "what the fuck?" you ask, pushing yuta's hand away.

"I could ask the same thing about last night." Yuta breathes. "What the fuck was that?"

Doyoung raises an eyebrow. "What happened last night?"

"Johnny invitied her over and for some odd reason, she started ignoring him at dinner. then left." Yuta shortens it. "then johnny texted her and she didn't respond."

"how'd you know that?" you huff.

"Johnny was really upset after you left." Yuta explains. "He thought he did something wrong and felt really bad because you ignored him, then left without saying anything."

"I said that mark was waiting for me at home and it was late." you correct him.

the japanese man rolls his eyes at you. "you didn't even let him walk you to your car, anything could've happened to you."

"if it was really that dangerous, you could've walked me." you protest.

"why are you so mad?" doyoung interrupts. "you were just drooling over the man the other day."

"because he lied!" you recounted, letting your hands fall onto the table with a loud thud, shocking doyoung and yuta.

"what do you mean he lied?" yuta murmurmed. "He wouldn't lie."

"you sure about that?" you counted. "because he damn sure lied to my face about the flowers he got."

"okay, what the fuck are you talking about?" the japanese man scoffs. "why would he lie about fucking flowers?"

"did you get to take a peek at what was written on that note? you know, the one he put in his pocket after you asked about it?"

doyoung pinches the bridge of his nose. "please do not tell me that you invaded Johnny's personal space over a freaking piece of paper."

"God NO!" you hiss. "Kibou's ball rolled into the bathroom and I was going to get it, when I noticed the paper on the ground and picked it up to see what it was." you recalled. " the message wasn''t one an aunt would send her nephew.. but I could be wrong."

yuta remains quiet for a second, before unlocking his phone and scrolling through it.

"what are you looking for?" you shake your head.

"johnny had a family photo on his instagram." he murmurs. "see! look!"

the older shows the both of you a picture of a younger version of Johnny, it had to be after he won a champsion for volleyball by the way he's being lifted up by his dad and mom with a trophy in hand. The only only person in the picture is what looks to be his younger sister.

"You might be right, honestly." Yuta crooned. "when we met, I remember us talking about our families and Johnny mentioned that it was only him, his mom, sister, and that was it. I talked about my family and my cousins and Johnny told me he didn't have any extended family other than his parents and sister."

"So now you understand why I'm ignoring him?" you questioned. "You know how I feel about liars.."

"You know what, Actually, No, I don't." Yuta retaliates, causing you to frown at him. "if Johnny felt the need to lie to the both of us about whoever sent the flowers, then it must have been for a good reasoning and you should trust him."

"I agree with Yuta." Doyoung perks up. "It's his business why he lied and you should respect that. it's not like you haven't lied a day in your life and no one ignores you because you lie, do they?"

your head hangs in your lap as you mutter. "no."

"so, text Johnny, meet with him, and properly apologize to him for ignoring him and being an asshole.. all this man has done is be kind to you and you're throwing that away over a small lie, which could be nothing at all."

when you don't move a muscle, yuta nudges your ribcage, forcing you to move.

About an hour later, Johnny is seen coming into the coffee shop. When he notices the table that you, yuta, and doyuoung are still occupying, he flashes a smile in your direction.

that same smile disappears when he notices Yuta and Doyoung beginning to get up from the table

"Hiya John." Yuta grins. "You two have a lot of talking to do, so me and doyoung are gonna go on a walk, right?" referring to Doyoung, who nods his head as Yuta wraps his arm around the other's waist. "Have fun!"

As Yuta and Doyoung head out in the opposite direction, Johnny sits directly across from you.

And for a few secons, your eyes drift off to the door opening and closing and give Johnny a weak smile.

Johnny begins to fidget with his hands, underneath the table as he stares at you, his braining working on all gears to figure out what to say to you.

the phrase "I'm sorry" is uttered simultaneously from the both of you, causing you to chuckle at the suddenness, which relieves a bit of the dryness in the back of your throat.

"It's none of my business, really." you start. "but you lied to me and yuta about the note and I am not fond of people that lie.. but because I know you and I have lied before, I'm sure that you had a valid excuse for lying and even if you didn't I had no excuse for acting like an asshole to you last night." you gulped. "you've been nothing but nice and genuine this entire time to me. . and I'm really sorry for looking over that."

You become a bit distraught when johnny break into a heartful laugh after you're finished.

"Am I missing the joke?" your eyebrow raising in question.

The two of you sit there until Johnny finally collects himself, sitting back in the chair and wiping the fallen tears from his cheeks.

"I'm sorry.. but what you're basically saying your sorry for is because you were jealous that I got a note from someone, and didn't tell you who it was?" he heaves, barely holding back a laugh. "I swear the more I get to know you, it gets easier to fall for you.."

Your cheeks flush. "What do you mean by that."

"I like you." he states blankly.

"an-and I like you too." you reply sheepishly, hiding your face in your palms to avoid Johnny's eyes.

"Since we both like each other, I guess I should be honest with you, about the note."

"You don't have to, Johnny, it's your business, really." you stop him. "I dont want you to feel obligated just because I was an asshole about it."

"I'm adopted."

"You're what?" you whispered.

"adopted." he repeats. "I was adopted around 5 or 6 in Chicago by a Japanese family. I have a mom, dad and a younger sister named Nara...Since I already know alot of Japanese, me and Yuta being roommates just made sense for me.. It reminds me of being home."

You nod your head, following along.

"The note and the flowers." he takes a pause. "Are from my birth mother.. She got out of jail a few months ago and has been trying to get in contact with me, but I haven't reached out to her."

"oh shit." you mutter, hitting yourself in the head. Of course none of this was your business and Johnny literally just explained his family dynamics to you. None of this would've happened if you had just minded your own business and left Johnny's alone.

"I'm okay talking about it, to you." he flashes a small smile. "I trust you."

this causes you to look up at him. "why?"

his shoulders shrug. "there's something about you, I can't physically explain that attracts me to you. I just know that you wouldn't purposely hurt me nor my feelings, and I had a hunch that you being distant had to be because of the note.. which I fully understand."

"I'm sorry." you mutter. "It takes alot to talk about personal stuff like that."

"I rather explain to you why I lied than have you not talking to me." he tells you. "I absolutely hated that.. Seriously."

"I also hated not talking to you, when you're not teasing or flirting with me, you're a pretty decent guy."

johnny grabs your hands. "I'll settle for decent if it means I get to keep being around you."