Chapter Text
“Oh. That’s not right.” You stood in the cabin, arms crossed as you looked around the space. It was cozy…too cozy. Chris had assured you, all of the cabins booked were two bed queen beds or larger. This trip had been his idea afterall, the eight guys and you on a winter getaway to a mountain resort for some much-needed rest. Yet here you were, staring at the obvious one king with panic dancing in your stomach.
“What’s wrong - oh,” behind you, Changbin had come through the door, bags in both hands after insisting that he handle unloading himself. He paused, staring around the space and quickly catching on to your hesitation.
“This has to be a mistake,” Binnie said, setting down both of your luggage before turning back to the front door. “I’m going to get the rest of the stuff, I’ll be right back,” he assured before all but running out the door. Outside, the sky was already nearly dark, deep clouds swirling in and promising snow. Despite the one bed, the space was comfortable and large, well decorated and exceedingly cozy with its plush furnishings, wood-burning fireplace, and warm lighting.
After several trips, Changbin finally closed the door behind him, making quick work to unload the food you’d both packed.
“I spoke to Channie-hyung. Apparently this was the last available cabin, an oversight on the resort’s part. All the others are doubled up or more. He said with how late it already is, we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to try and switch.” As he spoke, your anxiety ratcheted skyward. Stuck overnight…with Binnie…and only one bed.
He’d been your best friend, your rock for years. The person you could always count on, no matter how busy his schedule was. You didn’t know when it happened, but somewhere between endless movie nights, workout sessions, and years of memories, you’d found your feelings shifting further. Yet, you’d never acted on it, always opting for the safe route and protecting the friendship that you knew was irreplaceable.
So you hid it, fought the urge to hold on too long when he hugged you, masked the way he made your heart race when he laughed, hid your blush when he complimented you. You buried that secret deep down, protecting your stability over following your heart. You hadn’t realized you’d gone silent until he called your name, snapping you out of your panic induced daze.
“Huh?” You’d stuttered, blinking away the distraction and shifting your attention back to him.
“I said, I’ll take the couch.” You glanced over at the sofa, a skeptical look on your face, before turning back to him.
“No way. That thing won’t be comfortable for you to sleep on. Your shoulders are practically as wide as it.” His chuckle set you marginally at ease, the light teasing earning the exact reaction you were hoping for.
“I’m not letting you sleep on the couch while I take that king bed for myself, my mother raised a gentleman, afterall.” You smiled, shaking your head as an image of his mother smacking him upside the head for that played in your mind. “I think you and I can survive sharing a bed for one night. We’re adults and best friends. Have been for years. It’ll be fine.” His casual confidence made your chest twinge as you reminded yourself that those feelings you fought to bury were clearly one-sided. So, with a deep breath, you steadied yourself and agreed.
“Right. Just one night won’t kill us.”
And it didn’t, but one night wasn’t all it would be. You’d shared the bed that night, a respectful distance maintained as you slept. But by morning, it became all too clear that one night was going to morph into far more. Snow clung to everything outside the window, the flakes built up into large snow drifts that had no looks of dwindling anytime soon.
“We’re snowed in,” Binnie said as you sat down at the small kitchen table, gaze locked out at the literal winter wonderland outside. “The others are too. The resort won’t be able to clear us all out until the snow stops in a couple of days.” There it was. Snowed in and trapped with your best friend and only one bed. The air seemed to thin as you both sat with that knowledge, your heart racing as you desperately schooled your expression to neutrality.
The day was nothing short of torture. You attempted to read, curled up on the couch with your kindle but it became impossible to concentrate when Binnie decided to get a quick workout in. Your same page sat unfinished as you tried and failed to look away from him as he ran through his circuit. With nowhere to escape but the bedroom, you retreated with your dwindling sanity and curled up with a movie on your laptop.
You’d just started to relax when Changbin came in, hair still damp and curling from a shower, hoodie making him look extra cozy. The sight made your mind hazy as you hastily looked away, begging your cheeks not to give away your feelings as they burned.
“Can I join you?” He asked, moving to his side of the bed and pausing before you nodded. You could do this, you’d lost count of the movies you’d curled up watching together. Yet, this? This felt different. Your hands shook as you picked up the laptop, setting it between you both and sitting back against the cushions. Binnie sat close, shoulder barely brushing yours as you kept your eyes on the screen, not actually absorbing what what’s happening on it. “You okay?” He finally asked, glancing at you with a concern-tinged gaze.
You nodded hastily, unwilling to cause more concern and open the door for more questions. But Changbin wasn’t dumb, he knew you too well for that. Reaching forward, he paused the movie and turned to you, eyes searching your face as you struggled to maintain a neutral expression once again.
“Talk to me, you’ve been off since we got here yesterday.” You gulped, panicking that your inner turmoil had been so obvious despite your best attempts to hide it. You turned away, feeling the intensity of his stare on the side of your face.
“I’m fine, really,” you insisted, hoping he’d believe you and drop it. No such luck.
“Don’t do that. We’ve been friends for way too long. I know you better than that.”
“That’s the problem,” you blurted out before you thought, words tumbling forth like boulders between you before you could stop them. The silence that followed stretched like a chasm, deep and overwhelming.
“What do you mean?” He finally asked gently, hand resting on your arm and making you flinch. He recoiled immediately, shock coloring his face at your reaction. “You’ve never done this before with me. What’s wrong?” You bit your lip, physically restraining the words that now fought to surge free. Instead of speaking, you stood, moving hastily to try and get away, forgetting there was no escaping the cabin and him. He caught you quickly, shocking the air from your lungs as an arm banded around your waist, pulling you against him, your back meeting the hard muscles of his chest. “Hey, don’t run from me. We don’t do that.”
“I have to. Before I ruin this.”
“Ruin what?”
“Us.” There it was, the word hung like a stone between you two, heavy and silencing. For a moment, time stood still, the two of you seeming to hold your breath.
“You could never ruin us, that’s impossible.”
“Yes I could, please, Bin, let me go,” you begged, eyes squeezed shut as you rested your hands on his arm wrapped around you.
“Never. I’ll never do that,” he insisted, his grip seeming to tighten around you further. “Please, don’t shut me out.”
“I have to.”
“No you don’t. Not when what I think you’re fighting to keep hidden is reciprocated.” You froze, eyes snapping open and widening. His free hand came to your arm, resting softly, almost reverently as he waited.
“What?” Was all you could manage as your heart raced in his grip.
“I’ve been waiting. For years. What feels like forever, for you. Please, don’t run from me now.”
“Bin…” you started, but he cut you off gently, hand coming to your shoulder.
“Please, let me finish. I’ve waited for a long time, preserving our friendship. Because nothing is more important to me than you being in my life, even if I wanted more. Hiding how I feel has been painful, but not nearly as painful as it would be to lose you completely.” His words speared straight through you, breath catching and heart slamming to a stop. “How long?” He finally asked, the two words like a key unlocking the flood gates.
“I can’t remember. Years,” you admitted, staying perfectly still as if moving would shatter the moment and it would all disappear.
“Years. We’ve felt this way for years and neither of us did anything about it,” he sighed, gently turning you around and looking you in the eyes. You gulped, the proximity so much closer like this as he held you in place. “Don’t run from me, not this time. Please.” His hand cupped your cheek now, eyes searching yours, begging for permission. You gulped and nodded once, and he leaned forward, the space between you closing for good.