a/n: i was never here for this i just got to the party in 2020 but girls....gays....whatever you identify as....to me c*ld w*r doesn't exist don't @me i suddenly can't read but a prompt is a prompt so i guess? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

prompt from Clinging - Take it slow Canon au where irene first notices Wendy acting differently around her

tags: c*ld w*r references, canon divergence, mild angst, fluff, member to lover?, miscommunication

“Eo, Seungwan-ah, did you need something?” Irene answers her phone in the middle of her workout. Usually she likes to work out in peace, doesn’t bring her phone, but she does for the new music coming out this season. When she sees three missed calls from Wendy, she decides to pick up. 

“Did you eat yet?” Wendy chirps. “Do you want to eat with me?” 

Irene sighs. “I’m in the middle of my workout.” 

“Good, we can have meat after.” 

Irene furrows her brows at Wendy’s assertion. “We can’t eat too much, we have a fitting for costumes.” 

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Wendy waves off. “You just worked out, that’s the perfect time to eat. You’re still metabolising.” 

Irene isn’t convinced, but because Wendy is asking, she says yes. There’s a happy whoop and before Irene can ask if she told the other girls, Wendy drops the call. 

When she ends up finding Joy and Yeri on the way, she brings them along. Except Wendy doesn’t say a word to her the entirety of the meal. Instead giving her the cold shoulder. It only frustrates Irene because when she asks if everything is okay, Wendy blatantly lies and goes straight to her room when they get back to the dorm.

With her long hair framing her usually fluffy face, Wendy looks more mature. Irene has always known Wendy to be pretty, but she looks downright beautiful. And on top of that, she’s been putting in work on dieting and going to the gym. Her abs under the crop top are more noticeable than ever. Irene catches herself staring longer than she should. 

Wendy looks at her from the corner of her eyes. “Unnie, how do I look?” She has a crooked smile on her face as she applies her lipstick. 

Her voice is lower. Sultry even. It throws Irene off because Wendy is greasy but she’s never seductive. 

“Unnie.” Wendy repeats herself, voice low and smooth. It sends shivers down Irene’s spine. “Does it look bad?” Wendy tugs at the edge of her top and runs her hands down her hips. 

Irene used to adore Wendy’s cute but she also sees her hips now. She must be going crazy. “No…” she croaks. She feels how her words get caught in and also hears how ragged her voice is. She quickly clears , mortified at herself. “It’s fine. It looks good.” 

Wendy smiles. “Is that so?” She turns to her side. She reveals her perfect side profile and cute . “I was trying to look y.” 

Irene nearly chokes. “Is that the concept?” 

Wendy coyly looks at her. “Do you like it?”

Flustered by the sudden question, Irene steps back and brushes it off with, “Whatever you want. We have to film soon.” Irene turns to leave the room and doesn’t see the pout on Wendy’s face.

“Joohyun-ah, isn’t it funny?” 

Irene pauses at what comes out of Wendy’s mouth. “What?” It never happens with Wendy. Joy is understandable, she likes to test Irene’s boundaries, pretend that she’s the older one because she’s taller than her and is the eldest in her family. Irene is still the eldest and should always be treated as such. Wendy respects her and that about her entirely. 

Joohyun-ah?

“Have you lost your mind?” Irene says before she can stop herself.

The smile on Wendy’s face instantly disappears and an awkward laugh comes out. “Nah, I’m kidding,” Wendy turns and walks away. But mutters something to herself. 

Irene doesn’t stop her, too baffled at being spoken to without being called unnie and the fact that Wendy speaks under her breath. 

After the stage, Irene pulls her aside. “What is going on with you? Why are you giving me attitude lately?” 

Wendy looks surprised at how sternly Irene talks to her. “What are you talking about?”

“You’ve been disrespectful towards me and it’s not the time when we are busy with schedules.”

Wendy’s cheek twitches. “Is that what you think of me? That I’m still your