"I haven't seen you in a while, you know I miss you babe"
- C U Girl, Steve Lacy.
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Riki sat cross-legged on his bed, his phone propped up against a pillow as he went live on Weverse. The soft glow of his bedside lamp cast a warm hue over his room, making the setting feel cozy.
His hair was still damp from a shower, and he was wearing an oversized hoodie, looking as relaxed as ever. "What's up, engene? What are you guys doing?"
The chat exploded.
"Ni-ki why are you live so late?? u are NOT jungwon" "Did you eat?" "Who is sora????? Are you dating?!?" "I miss the live u did unboxing the Pokéballs :( talk about Pokémon!!"
That last comment caught his attention immediately.
His eyes lit up as he sat up a little straighter. "Wait, who said that?" He scrolled through the chat but quickly gave up. "Whoever said to talk about Pokémon, I like you."
He stretched his arms out and sighed dramatically. "Okay, guys, you already know I love Pokémon, so let's talk."
More messages started rolling in, fans naming their favorite Pokémon.
Riki scoffed playfully, reading the chat. "Eevee is cute, I'll give you that. Pikachu is classic, but guys, come on—Charmander? Really?" He shook his head as if he were disappointed. "Bulbasaur is literally right there."
Comments with mixed opinions filled the chat.
Riki laughed. "Okay, okay, Squirtle is cool, I admit it. But Bulbasaur is underrated, and I will not take any criticism-"
Then, his phone buzzed.
At first, he ignored it, assuming it was just a notification. But when he glanced at the screen, his eyes widened slightly.
mine 💗
His lips twitched into a small smile before he quickly turned back to the live. "Okay, guys, I have to go," he said, suddenly sitting up straighter. "Something important just came up."
The comments flooded with confusion and playful protests.
Riki just smirked. "Don't worry about it," he teased before waving. "I'll see you guys later. Bye-bye!"
Without another thought, he ended the live and immediately picked up the call. "Sora." His voice was lighter now, like the excitement bled into his words.
There was a pause on the other end before— "Did you just end your live because I called?"
Riki grinned. "Maybe."
Sora groaned. "Riki! Why would you do that? You were literally talking to your fans."
"They'll understand." He shrugged. "Besides, this is more important."
She sighed. "No, it's not. I was just calling to—"
"Doesn't matter," he interrupted. "You called, so it's important."
"I just called to say I was about to go to sleep." she murmured.
The rain drummed softly against the windowpane as Sora lay curled up on her bed, phone pressed to her ear.
The room was dimly lit by the warm glow of her bedside lamp, and the only sound aside from the rain was the steady rise and fall of Riki's breathing on the other end of the call.
"How was your day?" he asked softly.
"Tiring."
It had been a long day for both of them - Riki had just finished back-to-back rehearsals, and Sora had just gotten home from her shift.
But despite their exhaustion, neither of them had wanted to hang up.
"You're quiet," Riki murmured, his voice low and soothing through the speaker.
Sora sighed, hugging her pillow closer. "Just tired. I wanted to hear your voice before bed."
"You should sleep," he said, but there was no real conviction in his words. They both knew she wouldn't.
Instead, she closed her eyes, letting the sound of his breathing fill the silence between them. It was comforting, just knowing he was there, even through a phone call.
After a few moments, she spoke again, her voice softer this time. "You know... I always thought America would be my home forever and that I'd never fit in Korea."
"But then one day, I decided to tease you for smoking, and you became this huge part of my life," she continued before he could say anything else.
"Even when I'm stressed or having the worst day, the second I hear your voice, everything just... feels okay again." She paused, then added, almost shyly, "That's what home is, isn't it?"
The silence stretched between them for a beat too long, and for a moment, she wondered if she had said too much.
But then, she heard a soft chuckle from the other end - warm, breathy, a little disbelieving. "Me?"
Sora smiled. "Yeah, you. You're my home."
"...Say it again," he murmured.
Sora blinked. "Say what?"
"That I'm your home," he said, voice tinged with something vulnerable, something raw.
She bit her lip, warmth blooming in her chest. "You are my home, Riki."
A few seconds passed before he let out a quiet, almost shaky laugh. "You have no idea what you do to me."
Sora chuckled. "I think I do."
Riki exhaled, and she could almost picture him running a hand through his hair, trying to keep his cool. "You're so unfair," he mumbled.
"How?" she teased.
"Because now all I wanna do is go see you," he admitted. "But it's 3AM, and I'd probably get caught sneaking out."
Sora laughed, warmth filling her chest. "Well, guess you'll have to wait."
He groaned. "I hate waiting."
"Too bad," she said playfully, though her voice was laced with something softer. "Home's not going anywhere."
THE END.
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thank you so much for reading my first ever book :3 I'm so so grateful for every single read + vote I've gotten!!!
and believe me when I say I read every single comment and giggled sm u all r so funny I'm glad my book made u all laugh 😛
pls vote which book you'd want to read next:
Heeseung idol au (book in the idol series): bambi boy! - "move it, bambi boy!" - in which the famous kpop idol, lee heeseung, mistakes someone for a fan.
Jungwon idol au (book in the idol series): wink - "I'll kiss you if you wink for me." - in which the famous kpop idol, yang jungwon, can't wink.
