𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐬 | 𝐳𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐥𝐞
·°` listen to my youth by nct dream `°·
p : chenle × fem!reader | g : angst, fluff in the end (?), lovers to strangers!au | w : bittersweet ending, alcohol consumption + mention, crying (?)
a/n : I love this boy with all my heart also PLEASE listen to the song while reading for the best experience!
Y/n sighed. Her fingers fiddled with her dress pants as she stared up at the dark sky. The night was quiet outside. She overheard the familiar chatter inside, a loud pop followed by laughter and cheers. She tilted her head and heard a bit, and then looked back up to the twinkling sky and sighed.
She looked down at the ground from the balcony she stood at. That ground, that grass. She took so many steps on there with him, she saw him grow up, she saw him fall there and stand up to his feet. Those trees are where they hid as kids. And now she’s here, standing tall on the balcony, rewatching those memories as if it were a film. Maybe it was just her fogging eyes playing tricks on her, but the fireflies shaped into figures, chasing each other, and the distant laughter blended into the background. So distant, she felt like she was standing in a completely different world.
And this house, this place, is now her other home.
She snapped out of her daze when she heard the door snap open a bit, followed by sharp footsteps. She turned a bit to see Chenle, well dressed in a suit, with two glasses of champagne in his hands. He offered one to Y/n with his natural warm smile, and leaned on the railing, looking at the sky with her. They took a sip together.
“Looking for something?” He asked, squinting his eyes at the stars. His features seemed sharper under the moonlight. His lips were slightly wet from the champagne. His cologne roamed the air.
Y/n sighed. “Just looking at how far we’ve come.”
He looked down at her, a small smile tugging on the corner of his lips. “Don’t get emotional, you dork.”
“Don’t act like you’re not,” she took another sip, looking down at the garden. There were small fairy lights decorating the walls, and confetti littered around from the previous surprise.
“Congrats for getting accepted,” she smiled at him.
He elbowed her and inched closer, “Thanks for being there.”
He looked at her again, tilting his head. His silky hair shifted with the slow breeze. Was his eyes wetter than usual?
“Thanks for being there when dad wasn’t.”
“Zhong Chenle,” she rolled her eyes to distract from her shaking voice, “You’d never get rid of me even if you tried.”
His glass was almost empty now. “Maybe so.”
She sighed, licking her lips. Her chest was getting tighter. Finally, she mustered the courage to speak. “I guess this is goodbye, then.”
He only stared at the sky, tears brimming in his eyes. “Seems so.”
The breeze blew her hair into her eyes. From the corner of his eye, Chenle watched her tuck them behind her ears, but the breeze was too strong. He hummed and pushed his glass towards her hands, pulling out the hair tie he stole from her as kids from his pocket and held her hair. He pulled the hair away from her face and tied them into a low ponytail. Parts of her loose hair fell in front of her face. Slowly, he tucked them behind her ears, and smiled.
“You look prettier like this.”
Y/n watched him let his fingers linger around her cheeks before inching closer, placing his lips on her own. Her lips trembled against his, the soft taste of her drink lingered on his tongue. The breeze curled around them as Chenle felt her muffle a sob in her throat, and his other hand wrapped around her waist. He pulled away with a soft peck, and placed his forehead against hers.
“I’m sorry that this is the end.”
She sniffed, closing her eyes. He continued, “And I’m sorry I was too late.”
Her trembling lips curled into a smile, “That’s alright, Lele. We all make mistakes.”
There was silence. Chenle saw her tears stream down her cheeks, trickle down her neck and onto the collar of her dress shirt. His finger wiped it away.
“I’ll come back,” he said finally, “I’ll come for you.”
“You can’t,” she whispered.
“Of course I can,” he whispered softly, “Why can’t I?”
She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. “I’ll come,” he held her hand, “Okay?”
She only nodded. There was nothing she could say. The people inside started growing wary of his disappearance, and a commotion started. But Chenle didn’t move. Even he knew that part of him was only hopelessly muttering nonsense for the comfort of their hearts.
Yet he still continued firmly. “For the sake of our youths.”
She smiled a bit, and looked up at him, her beautiful eyes glittering, stars dancing in her pupils. “You dream too much.”
“Maybe that’s why I’m standing here now. And if my dream could bring me here.”
He took in a breath, and continued.
“Then my dream can bring us together. One day.”
She ran her tongue over her lips. “Why would you?”
He nodded, wiping her tears with his thumb, smiling for her.
main taglist (hmu to get added!) : @koishua @allegxdly @stayctday @yunntext @neotism @jungwon-luv-bot-pt3 @bluejaem @leetaeyonglover @radiorenjun @sleepylixie @oifelixcmerebrou
