"shotaro," the trainer's voice echoed in the dimly lit training room. "your partner will be arriving shortly."
shotaro acknowledged with a nod, taking a swig from his water bottle.
as the past month had unfolded, he'd struggled to keep up with the relentless demands of the group chat. sungchan and wonbin text a lot.
"is it a boy?" shotaro inquired, breaking the silence.
"one of our best," the trainer replied, his tone laced with admiration. "he's been honing his skills alongside you, though in different training centers. a prodigy, truly."
shotaro pondered the implications. "do i really need a partner? i think i could finish the course alone."
"partnership builds teamwork, shotaro," the trainer insisted. "it's a necessary aspect of debut preparation."
doubt poked at shotaro's worried mind. "i just don't think we'll work well."
"now that's no way to talk about me, taro." at that moment, the door creaked open, revealing a figure wearing a navy blue beanie and a mask. (sm ent protocol).
shotaro centered in on the newcomer, his heart racing as an unexpected sense of familiarity washed over him."who...are you?" his voice trembled, curiosity mixed with apprehension.
with a flourish (i just remembered that word existed so that's a +1 for the author wahoo anyway ill shut up) , the boy removed his mask, unveiling a grin that tugged at shotaro's memories.
in an instant, he was transported back to washington dc, outside his hotel when he shared a longing gaze.
"what? don't recognize your own boyfriend?" the boy quipped (+1 i'm on a roll) , his voice playful.
it was wonbin. park wonbin. the embodiment of shotaro's dreams. "h-how did you—" shotaro began, but his words faltered as wonbin enveloped him in a tight embrace, making him forget the weight of the past month in an instant.
"did you miss me?" wonbin's voice was a soft murmur, filled with genuine emotion.
shotaro's laughter bubbled through the air, relief blossoming in his chest. "you have no idea."
they laughed together.
"so, what's the plan? for like training." shotaro inquired.
"before that, i've got something for you," wonbin replied with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, tossing a container to shotaro, who caught it. the container, adorned with purple and black and white stripes, reminded shotaro of that one science class. "open it," he urged, his voice brimming with excitement.
shotaro complied, unraveling the paper.
"Taro! I miss you! Come back and visit soon!"-Sungchan
"Taro, thanks for helping me with my book report lol"-Ricky
"Shotaro, thank you for happily welcoming me into your friend group"-Anton
"Taro, thank you so much for being there for me in my worst moments"-Seunghan
"Taro, you've always been a good friend to me. Good luck on your debut!"-Keeho
YOU ARE READING
mint box - wontaro
Romanceshotaro has kept a small box of mints in his backpack. one day, the box runs out of mints, and he thought this would be a great opportunity to express his love for his longtime crush, park wonbin.
