Mildly shell shocked, I clutched the couch cushion to my chest, trying to suffocate the uncomfortable pang in my chest. Was he so offended by the possibility of me noticing him, that he decided to make a quick getaway with his laundry as an excuse?

No, he was probably just nervous and flustered with emotion, maybe I scared him off by coming on too strong? But I calculated my replies, with brevity and causality so I could avoid bizarre situations like this. I guess not everything can be solved, even with careful thinking.

Breaking my concentration, I felt the other side of the couch vibrate. I felt another stab, knowing it was probably Myungsoo’s phone. Did he really want to get away from me so quickly that he forgot his cell? Pulling away at the cushions, I found his pearl gold iPhone face up, with me glowing as his wallpaper.

Me as his wallpaper? Muttering some incoherent curses under my breath, I realized it was still ringing, and I scrambled to answer it. I didn’t even have a chance to identify myself before the caller started nagging.

“Hey, Kim Myungsoo!” Sungyeol whined on the other line, “Where the hell are you?”

“Uh, check the laundry room?” I squeaked.

He muttered my name in confusion, and yawned. “Well, that explains why I can see the floor of my bedroom.” he groaned, his voice deflating to a slight rasp. “Wait, why do you have his phone?”

“He left it in the lobby.” I replied shortly, hoping he was too drowsy to get the implication.

“Ah, hold on. I’ll be right down.” I heard rustling in the back. “I just gotta find some clothes.”

Before trying to let that image haunt my brain, I hung up, poised to throw the phone in the deepest depths of the couch. Fortunately, I thought better and let my curiosity get the best of me, pressing the home button. And it really was me on that tiny screen. I self-assumed the only picture of me he had was that one time in acting class, but it actually wasn’t. It was after our last round of exams, and we all went downtown for the night, bingeing on street food and bubble tea. That day I complained that there was no reason for me to be uncomfortable crossing my legs tightly on the crowded train ride. I sat between two men who opened their legs like they needed all the room for their delicate parts. In the picture I was occupying the entire park bench, or at least trying to with Woohyun constantly trying to squeeze in my leg room. I was laughing, or probably choking on my boba, as I clutched the milk tea in one hand, and holding my gut from laughing too hard with my other hand.

I hardly remember when Myungsoo took that picture, at that time university was a new concept I was still adjusting to. But I do remember that being in the summer. Which was weeks ago. He’s had this picture, for weeks.

Sungyeol finally decided to make an appearance, taking heavy steps down the stairs, wearing a black pullover slightly short for him (Myungsoo’s) and a pair of basketball shorts (possibly Myungsoo’s).

“Did you perm your hair?” I asked incredulously, pointing to his head of bushy brown locks.

He looked at me weirdly, and unceremoniously dragged his fingers through, running against an unruly mess of kinks and waves. “Huh. I guess I did. That was some night.”

Rolling my eyes at the usual Sungyeol antics, I gave him Myungsoo’s phone, showing him the wallpaper. “Explain.” I said firmly.

One look at him and I could tell he was hiding it all along. “Geez, that idiot. I told him to get rid of it.”

“So you knew about it all along, and didn’t bother to tell me? Even after finding out how I feel about him?”

“Well, yeah. You would have done it anyway, even if I did tell you.” Sungyeol replied as if it were the easiest thing in the world. “Besides, I’m not that cruel to involve myself that far. If anything happens between you two, it should happen naturally.”

“Whoa, you have a heart.” I snorted.

“No, it’s just that if you guys break up, I won’t have to take the blame.”

“You punk.” I seethed, throwing a pillow in his face. “Well, he basically ran away from me before you called, that’s why he left his phone.”

“Then chase him.” he handed me his phone. “You’re being stubborn, he can’t do everything. Go talk to him.”

Clutching the phone in my hand, I sighed, “I don’t know where the laundry room is.”

“Oh my god,” Sungyeol pinched the bridge of his nose, “it’s down the hall, to your left. He’s probably hiding there like a kicked puppy.”

He made serious eye contact with me, his eyes increasing to the size of an owl’s, indicating I wasn’t coming back until I ironed everything out in the laundry room, pun unintended. Flopping down on the couch and playing with my laptop, he waved his hand, banishing me from the lobby.

The laundry room was small, stuffy, and otherwise pleasant smelling if you liked fabric softener. Pushing the screen door ajar, I found Myungsoo sitting on the side, arms folded like a statue. The machine was reduced to a low rumble, unready. He looked up, and swiftly leapt to life like a wind-up toy, sitting straighter.

“Your phone.” I said quietly, holding it out.

Seeing his face crumble made my heart ache more than when he ran away less than twenty minutes ago. His face was a raw, honest rose. Reluctantly plucking the phone from my hand, he mumbled, “You saw, didn’t you.”

“If it makes you feel better,” I sat in the chair next to him, purposely making our shoulders brush against each other. “I have it worse.”

“Nothing can be worse than someone you’re barely friends with finds out you’re secretly hoarding pictures of them on your phone.” he spoke so earnestly, it made my body parts feel numb and jelly-like.

“I would be surprised if you didn’t,” I reassured, “then you wouldn’t be you, someone who didn’t hesitate to capture the little details in life.”

“I have an album in my computer just of you.”

And I laughed, because really, what more ironic of a situation can this possibly be? While the idea was initially shocking, it was Myungsoo. He had a quality of showing affection with obsession, within reason. He turns his hobbies into passions, and his likes into his loves. He took my laughter to an offense, with a near terrifying look of horror. I tried to calm down, shaking my head back and forth. “Well, I have a journal in my computer, just of you.”

“I promise, I’m not a stalker or anything.” he blushed furiously, and I had to fight the urge to pinch his cheeks. “Wait, journal?”

“Yeah,” I said softly, stressing each syllable. “Manic Pixie Dream Boy.”

“What?” and it was his turn to laugh. And his laugh was incredibly infectious, I couldn’t help but smile back. His laugh took up his entire body, where his embarrassment and annoyance melted away in a series of chuckles and natural, ear-splitting grins. “What on earth is that?”

“Exactly what Woohyun said.” I said exasperatedly, “I bet all our friends were just waiting for us to explode.”

“Probably.”

“Well, we can fix this.” he looked confused, and I giggled, pulling him up. I stuck out my hand, and forced him to grab mine. “It’s nice to meet you, Kim Myungsoo.”

He played along, humoring me. He clutched my palm in a cool, firm grip. “Likewise.”

“Let’s say we finish your laundry, and possibly maybe watch some Fullmetal after this? Get some breakfast?”

“I’d like that.”

“Well, you know how I feel, I kinda know how you feel. Anything you’d like to add before we start our day?”

“For starters,” again, the adorably serious face, which harbored a bit of elation from when I mentioned “our”. Really, how could he still be so soft and happy after experiencing a heartbreak-scare moments before. As a human being, he was truly precious.

“Are you going to give me a list again, Myungsoo?” It felt good saying his name.

“No.” he scoffed, “I was just going to say that I’m extremely jealous of Nam Woohyun. But now we’re doing this I’m going to prove myself.”

“You don’t have to prove anything.”

And then he smiled, all over again. But this one was all mine, no angsty journal entries or photo albums. There were no trap doors, pixie dust, or secret codes, it was just us.

(a/n) And that's the end. I know you guys are probably anticipating their first date, first kiss, etc, but I feel like this fic is done for me. It's enough fluff for the year. I wasn't expecting this fic to happen, honestly, Myungsoo feels just pop up periodically. Usually I write longer than this, but I kinda just made this in two days, spurts and leaps.

1. I never intended for Myungsoo/girl to get together. It was at first going to be actual entries, but the farther down I got I realized that a lot of the things that develop in this fic are behind the scenes and left for a reader's interpretation. 
2. In fact I never intended for Myungsoo to be interested, or know, this girl, period. That chapter of Myung's POV was entirely spur of the moment, made after everything else was written. She's an anygirl to me, which is very Sue-ish, but everyone can relate to a boy/girl who secretly pines over the unattainble man, and makes up stories and pretend conversations in her/his head. 
3. In a way, the girl was the MPDG.

If you have anything you'd like to talk about, please don't hesitate to ask! I don't bite, haha. Thank you for reading!