¤ Ethereal ¤ Im Changkyun X Reader ON HIATUS (Soulmate Fanfiction)

BBQ ~ Ch34

¤ (Y/n)'s Point Of View ¤

By the time I.M and I had gotten back to the beach, the sky had darkened from the indigo blue to a pure dark blue that allowed the starts to stand out brightly. The walk back was a comfortable one, I.M having been a gentleman and carried all of our groceries back on his own. He did not allow me to carry a single bag.

When we got back, luckily nobody mentioned the fact that I was wearing I.M's hoodie. Instead, they impatiently pried the bags out of I.M's hands and began cooking the food. Everyone was hungry after that time spent in the ocean, causing everyone to put in extra effort to make sure the food was cooked.

Everyone had their own job, some in charge of specific vegtables and some (Jooheon and I) in charge of simply pouring drinks for everyone. I.M was held responsible for the meat, everyone recognising that he was the best cook out of us 8 and only he should be in charge with something as important as the meat.

I couldn't help but stare at I.M as he fried the food, watching as he rolled up his sleeves simultaneously. It was undeniable that he looked breath-taking- almost as good as he looked when he smiled. Even after receiving the first cooked bits of beef from him, I couldn't help but continue watching him cook as I ate. Why do men who cook always look so attractive? More importantly, why did I.M have to look so attractive?

After a while, all the meat and vegetables had been fried and simply placed on the grill at a low heat to keep them warm. Everything tasted delicious and I'm sure the other boys agreed with that fact. I.M sat beside me quietly as he ate his share of the food, not paying attention to all the noises of appreciation that his friends were making around him as they ate.

"Man, I missed you cooking." Minhyuk said to I.M as he shoved another piece of pork into his mouth. Another noise of delight left his lips as the meat melted.
"Was it I.M who used to cook for you all when you lived together?" I asked curiously, watching as the rest of them perked up at the mention of them all living together. They almost seemed surprised that I knew that fact.

"Yeah, he was the best cook. Now it's Shownu who cooks for us. His food is...alright. Nothing special though." Kihyun told me, making Shownu scoff in disbelief at his words- clearly offended.
"Yah. I'm right here." Shownu scowled, glaring at Kihyun while everyone else- including me snickered.

After a while, I decided that I wanted to put my beef into a small lettuce wrap just as the boys were doing around me. The only thing stopping me was the fact that the lettuce and kimchi were both beside Wonho who was infact furthest away from me. I made a pouting face as I thought about how I could grab the lettuce, deciding to simply try to reach for it first.

But as I suspected, I was nowhere near close to it. I would have to climb over the bbq grill and Jooheon's cross-legged figure to make it over to the tray of lettuce. All of that trouble just to make a wrap? I don't think so. So with a sigh, I sat back into my seat. After a few seconds, I realised that I.M's eyes were on mine. I looked up at him skeptically, wondering why he was giving me such a look.

Before I could ask, the boy reached over and grabbed a lettuce leaf along with some kimchi. He used his chopsticks to put the kimchi inside the lettuce and a piece of his own slices of beef into the lettuce before wrapping it up. I was about to speak up on his odd behaviour but the moment I opened my mouth, I.M's newly made wrap was right infront of my lips. He waited patiently for me to eat it, not forcing it into my mouth as my brother probably would have done.

So reluctantly, I took the wrap into my mouth straight from I.M's hands. A blush spread across my cheeks as I chewed, my eyes never leaving the sand beneath my feet. Luckily, the other boys were preoccupied with their own conversations to notice this interaction between me and I.M.

After my embarrassment faded away, I let myself actually pay attention to all the flavours in my mouth right now. I hummed in delight, clapping my hands in enthusiasm with a smile.
"Woah, it's good!" I exclaimed to him, gaining the courage to look up. I.M chuckled at my childishness, shaking his head in amusement before he continued eating.

Everyone spent the next half an hour eating everything and anything they possibly could untill they all fell back into their assigned chairs and complained about how full they have gotten. They all got into their own rythms of chatter, small groups of two or three being made a few metres away from each other. It was just me and I.M who hadn't joined any of these groups.

It was pretty clear to everyone why I.M hadn't joined the chatter but as for me? I hadn't joined simply because I was far too engrossed in the beauty of the ocean waves at this time of night. I was no longer cold as the bbq grill was being used as some sort of fire place- only it was really just me who was using it. So overall, I felt tranquil and calm. Judging by the look on I.M's face, I would say he felt that way too.

It wasn't long before I.M had to pull out a cigarette and lighter, feeling the need to smoke in such a peaceful moment like this. I watched silently as he lit his cigarette and popped the lighter back into his pocket. He took the first puff guiltfree, exhaling the smoke which was carried by the wind into my direction rather than his friend's- so ultimately nobody had noticed yet.

By his third puff, I.M turned to face me as he was now painfully aware of my pleading eyes that hadn't left his from the moment he opened his cigarette packet. I wasn't sure what it was about smoking that I liked so much- honestly only ever becoming interested in it when it was I.M holding the ciagrette. I.M gave me a small glare with a look that said 'Don't even think about it.'

But it was too late. It was all I could think about. It was risky for even wanting to, considering that my brother and his friends were less than a metre away from us with their backs towards us. But I couldn't fight the feeling. So after looking left and right to make sure that nobody was looking, I lowered I.M's hand in which was holding the cigarette and wrapped my lips around the bud.

I took a quick but deep inhale before exhaling in the opposite direction with a giggle, watching I.M's face contort from one of horror into a tired sigh. My giggles didn't stop, especially when a small smile slipped onto I.M's face- though he thought he could hide it by inhaling another puff of smoke. But it was too late, I saw it.

He could never hide anything from me. It was no longer possible to hide things from eachother. I wonder how that happened- he was only sopposed to be my brother's best friend. But now? He was so much more.

(A.N ~ Why is this book so fluffy when I'm best at angst lmao?)