Work Text:
The music was way too loud for a sleepover.
Not like anyone was complaining—because obviously Lara had declared it “essential for the vibe”—but still. The bass thumped through the walls, fairy lights blinked like they were overstimulated, and someone (probably Daniela) had knocked over a bowl of popcorn that now crunched under every step.
Megan was sitting cross-legged on the floor, hugging a pillow like it might physically protect her from whatever chaos was about to happen next.
Across from her, Yoonchae was laughing softly at something Sophia said, her eyes crinkling in that quiet, bright way that made Megan immediately look down at her hands like they were suddenly fascinating.
Which they weren’t. They were just… hands.
Why were her hands sweating?
“Oh my god,” Manon suddenly clapped. “We’re bored.”
“We are NOT bored,” Lara shot back. “We are curated chaos.”
“We’re bored,” Daniela confirmed, already reaching for something under the bed. “Which means…”
Megan froze.
“No,” she whispered.
“Oh yes,” Sophia grinned.
Daniela dramatically held up a folded piece of paper like it was a sacred artifact. “Seven. Minutes. In. Heaven.”
“Nope,” Megan said immediately, already shaking her head. “Nope, absolutely not, I’m actually leaving, I just remembered I have—uh—homework. At midnight.”
Lara grabbed her wrist before she could even pretend to stand. “Sit down.”
“I’m serious!”
“That’s exactly why this is happening,” Manon said, eyes gleaming. “Character development.”
Meanwhile, Yoonchae tilted her head. “Seven minutes… in heaven?” she repeated, careful with the words. “What is… heaven?”
There was a beat of silence.
Then every single head turned toward her.
“Oh,” Sophia said slowly. “Oh, this is even better.”
Megan’s stomach dropped. “No. No, don’t—”
“It’s just a game,” Lara said sweetly, scooting closer to Yoonchae. “You go into a closet with someone for seven minutes.”
“And?” Yoonchae asked.
Manon leaned in, lowering her voice like she was explaining top-secret information. “You’re supposed to… you know.”
Yoonchae blinked.
Daniela stage-whispered, “Kiss.”
“Oh.”
Another blink.
“Oh,” she repeated, softer this time.
Megan was going to combust.
Like, actually combust. Flames. Ashes. End of story.
“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Megan said, voice way too tight.
But Yoonchae didn’t look uncomfortable. She looked… curious.
Her gaze flicked, just for a second, toward Megan.
That made everything worse.
“So we spin,” Sophia announced, grabbing an empty bottle and placing it dramatically in the center. “And whoever it lands on goes into the closet with whoever spun.”
“This is evil,” Megan muttered.
“This is art,” Lara corrected.
The bottle spun.
Megan didn’t even breathe.
It slowed.
Slower.
Slower—
And then it stopped.
Pointing directly at Megan.
The room erupted.
“No way!” Daniela yelled.
“OH MY GOD,” Lara screamed.
Megan covered her face. “I hate all of you.”
“Spin again!” Sophia said immediately.
Megan didn’t want to. She really, really didn’t want to.
But there were four people chanting her name and one girl sitting quietly across from her, watching with those soft, steady eyes.
So she spun.
The bottle spun faster than before, like it had personal beef with her.
It circled once.
Twice.
Three times—
And then it stopped.
Right in front of Yoonchae.
Everything went quiet for half a second.
Then all hell broke loose.
“NO WAYYYY—”
“This is destiny!”
“I planned this,” Lara said, which was definitely a lie.
Megan’s ears were ringing.
Yoonchae just blinked again, processing.
“…So we go into the closet?” she asked.
“Yes,” Manon said, way too eagerly.
“For seven minutes,” Daniela added.
“And then?” Yoonchae asked.
Lara grinned. “You’ll figure it out.”
Megan stood up so fast she almost tripped. “I’m going to pass away.”
“Not allowed,” Sophia said, already pushing her toward the hallway.
The closet door opened.
It was small. Of course it was small. Why wouldn’t it be?
Megan stepped inside, immediately bumping into a hanging jacket.
Yoonchae followed a second later.
The door shut behind them with a very final click.
Darkness.
Not complete—but dim enough that everything felt closer than it should.
Megan pressed her back against the wall like that might create more space.
It didn’t.
“Um,” she said.
“Um,” Yoonchae echoed.
They both laughed a little.
Which somehow made it more awkward.
Or maybe less.
Megan wasn’t sure anymore.
“I’m sorry about them,” Megan said quickly. “They’re… a lot.”
“They are fun,” Yoonchae said, her voice soft but certain.
“Yeah,” Megan admitted. “They are.”
A pause.
From outside, muffled giggles.
Someone definitely pressed their ear against the door.
Megan groaned. “They’re listening.”
“Of course they are,” Yoonchae said, sounding amused.
Another pause.
The air felt different in here. Warmer. Closer.
Megan could make out the outline of Yoonchae’s face now, just barely.
“You don’t have to… do anything,” Megan said, words tumbling over each other. “Like, it’s just a game, and if you’re uncomfortable, we can literally just stand here and talk about—uh—anything. Weather. Homework. The economy—”
Yoonchae laughed softly.
“You are nervous,” she said.
“I’m not nervous,” Megan said immediately.
A beat.
“…Okay, I’m nervous.”
“That is okay.”
Another pause.
Megan swallowed.
“I just don’t want you to feel like you have to—”
“I know what to do,” Yoonchae said gently.
Megan blinked. “You do?”
“You kiss,” she said simply.
“Oh.”
Right.
That.
Megan’s brain short-circuited.
“I just… I don’t know if you want to,” she said, quieter now.
Yoonchae didn’t answer right away.
Instead, she took a small step forward.
The space between them shrank.
Megan’s breath caught.
“I think…” Yoonchae said slowly, choosing her words carefully, “I want to try.”
That did not help Megan’s heart rate.
At all.
“Okay,” Megan said, barely above a whisper.
Neither of them moved for a second.
Two seconds.
Three.
The tension built in this quiet, almost ridiculous way—like something was about to happen but neither of them wanted to break it too fast.
Yoonchae tilted her head slightly.
Megan forgot how to exist.
“Can I?” Yoonchae asked.
Megan nodded immediately. “Yeah. Yes. Yeah.”
Smooth.
Very smooth.
Yoonchae smiled a little at that.
Then she reached up—hesitant at first, but not unsure—and lightly touched Megan’s sleeve, like she was grounding herself.
Megan didn’t move.
Couldn’t, honestly.
And then Yoonchae leaned in.
It wasn’t rushed.
It wasn’t clumsy.
It was careful.
Intentional.
Their lips met softly at first—just a light press, like both of them were figuring it out in real time.
Megan’s brain went completely blank.
Like, nothing. Static.
But in a good way.
A very good way.
Yoonchae pulled back just slightly, like she was checking something.
Megan opened her eyes, realizing she’d closed them without noticing.
Yoonchae was close.
Really close.
“Okay?” she asked quietly.
“Yeah,” Megan said, breathless. “More than okay.”
That made Yoonchae smile again—this time a little more confident.
And then she leaned in again.
This kiss lasted longer.
Still soft—but less uncertain.
Megan’s hand lifted without her thinking, hovering for a second before gently resting against Yoonchae’s arm.
Yoonchae didn’t pull away.
If anything, she leaned closer.
The closet suddenly felt even smaller.
Or maybe everything else just faded.
Time definitely did.
Because the next thing Megan registered was loud banging on the door.
“TIME’S UP, LOVEBIRDS!”
They both jumped apart.
Megan immediately covered her face. “I hate them.”
Yoonchae laughed—actually laughed—and it sounded lighter than before.
The door swung open.
Light flooded in.
Four very nosy faces stared at them.
“Well?” Daniela demanded.
Megan walked past them. “I’m not speaking to any of you ever again.”
“That means yes!” Lara yelled.
Sophia gasped. “Wait—who made the first move?”
There was a pause.
Megan froze.
Yoonchae stepped out of the closet behind her.
And, very casually, said, “I did.”
The room exploded.
Megan didn’t even try to hide her smile this time.
And when she glanced back at Yoonchae, who was already looking at her—
Yeah.
Seven minutes had definitely not been enough.
The energy didn’t really come down after that.
If anything, it got worse.
“Guys, I need DETAILS,” Lara was saying, fully sprawled across the bed like she was hosting a talk show. “Like, play-by-play. Director’s cut.”
“You’re not getting a director’s cut,” Megan said, grabbing a handful of popcorn and throwing it at her.
“That’s so suspicious,” Daniela added. “That’s the behavior of someone with something to hide.”
“I literally just stood in a closet,” Megan shot back.
“With Yoonchae,” Sophia said, dragging out the name like it meant everything. Which… okay, it kind of did.
Megan refused to look in Yoonchae’s direction.
Which obviously meant she was extremely aware of where Yoonchae was at all times.
Like right now—sitting a little to the side, knees tucked in, smiling quietly at the chaos like she always did. Not saying much, just listening.
But every once in a while, her eyes flicked over to Megan.
And every single time, Megan’s brain short-circuited all over again.
“Wait,” Manon said suddenly, pointing. “Why are you both being weird?”
“We are not being weird,” Megan said immediately.
“You are being weird,” Manon said, not even hesitating.
“We’re literally just sitting here.”
“You’re sitting like you just got lore dropped on you,” Daniela added.
“That doesn’t even make sense.”
“It makes sense to me.”
Sophia gasped dramatically. “Oh my god, they’re doing the thing.”
“What thing?” Megan demanded.
“The post-closet tension thing,” Lara said. “It’s classic.”
“There is no thing.”
“There is so much thing,” Manon said.
Megan groaned and buried her face in a pillow. “I regret everything.”
“You don’t regret everything,” Daniela said knowingly.
“…I regret most things.”
“Mm,” Sophia said, unconvinced.
Across the room, Yoonchae laughed softly under her breath.
Megan peeked up just enough to catch it.
And then immediately hid again.
This was actually unbearable.
—
Eventually—after too many snacks, too much music, and at least three attempts by Lara to restart the game—the night started to wind down.
Lights dimmed.
Phones came out.
Conversations got softer, slower, messier.
Someone put on a movie that no one really paid attention to.
One by one, people started falling asleep.
Sophia was first, curled up with a blanket halfway off her shoulder.
Daniela knocked out next, still holding her phone in her hand.
Manon lasted longer but eventually gave in, muttering something about “needing eight hours for beauty.”
Lara was the last to go, fighting sleep like it was a personal enemy until she finally passed out mid-sentence.
And then—
Quiet.
Real quiet.
The kind of quiet that only happens at sleepovers at like 3 AM, when everything feels softer and more real for no reason.
Megan was very much awake.
Staring at the ceiling.
Replaying everything.
Every second.
Every detail.
Which was honestly not helping her sleep situation.
At all.
She turned slightly, careful not to make noise.
Across the room, Yoonchae was awake too.
Of course she was.
Their eyes met almost immediately in the dim light.
There was a pause.
Then Yoonchae smiled—small, but unmistakable.
Megan felt that in her chest.
“Hi,” Yoonchae whispered.
“Hi,” Megan whispered back.
Another pause.
The kind that wasn’t awkward.
Just… full.
“Can’t sleep?” Megan asked.
Yoonchae shook her head slightly. “Too much thinking.”
“Yeah,” Megan said. “Same.”
A quiet beat.
Then, after a second, Megan pushed herself up onto her elbows. “Do you wanna… talk?”
Yoonchae hesitated—but not in a bad way.
More like she was choosing carefully.
Then she nodded.
They both moved at the same time—slow, quiet, trying not to wake anyone—as they met halfway between their spots on the floor.
Now they were closer.
Not closet-close.
But closer than before.
Close enough that Megan could see the way Yoonchae’s hair fell over her cheek.
Close enough that she remembered exactly how it felt earlier.
Okay. Cool. Great. She was not going to survive this.
“So,” Megan said softly. “About… earlier.”
Yoonchae’s lips curved slightly. “Yes.”
Megan let out a quiet, nervous laugh. “I don’t even know what to say.”
“That is okay,” Yoonchae said. “I also… don’t know exactly.”
Another pause.
But this one felt different.
Heavier.
In a good way.
“I meant what I said,” Megan added, more quietly now. “In there. Like—you didn’t have to do anything.”
“I know,” Yoonchae said.
“And I didn’t want you to feel like—”
“I wanted to,” Yoonchae said gently.
That shut Megan up immediately.
Not in a bad way.
Just—completely.
“Oh,” Megan said.
Yoonchae nodded slightly, her expression calm but… not distant. If anything, more open.
“I was curious,” she continued. “But not just about the game.”
Megan’s heart did something very illegal.
“Then… what?” she asked, barely above a whisper.
Yoonchae looked at her properly now.
Not quick glances.
Not shy looks.
Just… looking.
“You,” she said simply.
Yeah, okay. Megan was done for.
Completely done for.
“Oh,” she said again, because apparently that was the only word she had left.
Yoonchae laughed softly.
“You say that a lot,” she said.
“I—yeah. Sorry. My brain’s kind of… gone.”
“I noticed.”
“Wow, okay.”
They both smiled.
And then it got quiet again.
But not empty.
Just… real.
“Was it okay?” Yoonchae asked after a moment.
Megan blinked. “What?”
“The kiss,” Yoonchae clarified. “Was it… okay for you?”
Megan stared at her.
“Okay?” she repeated. “It was—yeah. It was more than okay.”
Yoonchae held her gaze, like she was making sure.
“That’s good,” she said softly.
“What about you?” Megan asked. “Was it okay for you?”
Yoonchae nodded.
Then, after a tiny pause, added, “I liked it.”
Megan exhaled a breath she didn’t realize she was holding.
“Yeah?” she said.
“Yeah.”
Something shifted again.
Subtle.
But noticeable.
Like they were both stepping a little closer to something without fully saying it out loud.
Megan glanced toward the others, all still very much asleep.
Then back at Yoonchae.
“Can I ask you something?” she said.
“Yes.”
“If it wasn’t a game… would you still have…?” Megan trailed off, suddenly very aware of how risky that question was.
Yoonchae didn’t answer right away.
Not because she didn’t know.
But because she was thinking.
Carefully.
“I think…” she said slowly, “I would have wanted to. But I don’t know if I would have been brave enough.”
Megan felt that.
Hard.
“Yeah,” she said. “Same.”
A quiet, shared understanding settled between them.
Then Yoonchae tilted her head slightly.
“But now I know,” she added.
“Know what?”
“That I can be brave.”
Megan smiled a little. “Yeah. You were… very brave.”
“And you?” Yoonchae asked.
“I was… there,” Megan said.
Yoonchae laughed again. “You were good.”
“Good?” Megan repeated. “That’s it? Just good?”
“Very good,” Yoonchae corrected, a hint of teasing in her voice now.
“Oh, okay. Thank you. I appreciate the review.”
“You’re welcome.”
Another pause.
But this one felt… lighter.
Easier.
“Can I ask something now?” Yoonchae said.
“Yeah.”
Yoonchae hesitated for just a second.
Then—
“Can we try again?”
Megan’s brain did that thing again where it just completely stopped working.
“Try—like—” she gestured vaguely.
“Yes,” Yoonchae said, a little more confident now. “But not because of the game.”
Megan swallowed.
“Okay,” she said softly.
Neither of them rushed it.
No pressure.
No audience.
No countdown.
Just the two of them, sitting in the quiet glow of a half-lit room while everyone else slept.
Yoonchae shifted a little closer.
Megan met her halfway.
This time, there was no hesitation about who would move first.
Yoonchae did.
Again.
But now it felt different.
Less uncertain.
More intentional.
She reached up, her fingers lightly brushing Megan’s wrist before settling there.
Grounding.
Steady.
Megan leaned in slightly, her breath catching.
And then—
They kissed again.
Softer at first.
But not tentative.
Just… slow.
Like they had time.
Like they weren’t trying to figure it out anymore—just feel it.
Megan’s hand found Yoonchae’s sleeve again, more naturally this time.
Yoonchae leaned closer, just a little.
And everything else—the room, the noise, the entire chaotic night—faded into the background.
It wasn’t about the game anymore.
Not even a little.
When they pulled back, it wasn’t because someone was yelling or banging on a door.
It was just… them.
Breathing the same quiet air.
Looking at each other like something had shifted—and neither of them wanted to pretend it hadn’t.
“Okay,” Megan whispered.
“Okay,” Yoonchae echoed.
And somewhere in the room, Lara snored loudly.
They both broke into quiet laughter, trying not to wake anyone.
But neither of them moved away.
Not yet.
Not for a while.