Warning: fluff fluff fluff

"Oppa, I really don't want to talk to you right now." Yeri said while trying to put as much distance between them as possible.

"Well, that for you. I am tired of playing this game, Yerim." Jaehyun told her impatiently "What the hell is going on? You never hid anything from me before."

"Yeah, but now it's different." She stated vaguely.

Jaehyun closed his eyes in frustration "Why?"

"Oppa, please..." Yeri tried to bargain but he was unyielding.

"Don't even start." He spat angrily, not really caring about invading her personal space “I'm not leaving this apartment until you tell me what the problem is."

"I can't." She said avoiding any eye contact.

"Why not?" Jaehyun probed relentlessly.

"BECAUSE YOU ARE THE PROBLEM!" Yeri blasted at him "You really want to know what's wrong? Fine, I'll tell you! You have been nothing but wonderful to me since the beginning and how do I repay this? I developed feelings for you and now our friendship is ruined." She said in agony and finally raised her eyes to look at him "I'm in love with you, Oppa. That's the problem."

Jaehyun felt his anger instantly melt away "Yerim, I..."

"I know, you probably only think of yourself as my big brother since we met when I was a kid and you do love me in your own way." She kept babbling while pacing around the room "That's why I need time, I need to get over you so things can go back to normal."

Jaehyun chortled at her "When were we ever normal?"

"Well, I guess you have a point." She agreed and headed to the kitchen so she wouldn’t have to be near him "But anyway, you don't need to feel burdened by this. I promise I will make an effort to snap of it soon and..."

Yeri was so engrossed in her ramblings that she did not have time to react when Jaehyun strode over to where she was, roughly turned her around and trapped her between him and the kitchen island. They were now extremely close to one another and she felt the words die in as she was engulfed by the smell of his cologne and his uneven breathing tickling her cheeks.

Jaehyun was fuming and Yeri could only gulp in response since his odd behavior was making her feel quite jittery.

"O-oppa," she managed to stutter, unable to take his silence.

"I'm not going to repeat myself, so you better listen well" he warned her with blazing eyes as his voice dropped an octave lower "1. There is nothing brotherly about how I feel about you." He sneered, making her gasp "And 2. You must be crazy if you think I will let you get over me."

Yeri just gaped at him "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Do you want me to spell it out for you?" He questioned in annoyance.

"Since when?" She asked dumbfounded.

"I have no idea. Since always, I guess." He replied honestly "But I didn't realize it until last year."

"Last year?!?" Yeri barked and forcefully shoved him away "You've known for this long and I have to be the one to say it first?"

"You were going through a hard time and I didn't want you to think I was taking advantage of that, okay?" He retorted defensively "I was going to tell you on your birthday but then you decided it would be fun to play hide and seek with me!"

"I didn't know you were going to confess!" She chided, flailing her arms in the air "I thought you didn't like me that way."

"Well, I do!" He shouted heatedly.

"Oh yeah? I do too!" She snapped back at him.

They both glared at each other for a few seconds before bursting into laughter over the ridiculousness of their situation.

Jaehyun ran a hand through his hair in frustration "We are really stupid aren't we?"

"So very stupid." Yeri also acknowledged and smiled hesitantly at him "You know, maybe we should spare the rest of the world from our stupidity and just... stick together?"

Jaehyun though about her proposal before breaking out into a huge grin "Kim Yerim, are you trying to ask me to be your boyfriend?"

"Maybe..." She said with a shrug and looked at him expectantly "What do you say?"

"I could work with that." He responded with his dimpled smile.

"Are you sure about this?" Yeri asked dubiously "If the last few weeks were any indication, I'll probably drive you crazy for the rest of our lives."

"You've been driving me crazy for the last few years." He pointed out before pulling her closer "But I wouldn't have it any other way. I love you too, Yerim-ah."

Yeri let out a nervous giggle and her cheeks were now a deep shade of red "So, uh... What happens now?"

"Usually when you commit to someone, you have to seal the deal." Jaehyun told her seriously.

"And how do we do that?" She asked skeptically.

"It can be with a handshake, a hug..." he mused, pretending to be aloof "a kiss?"

Yeri crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him "Jung Jaehyun, are you trying to get me to kiss you?"

"Well, technically you already kissed me, remember?" He felt the need to remind her.

"Right..." Yeri muttered in chagrin. That was so not her best moment.

"But it was kind of rushed and I didn't have the opportunity to kiss you back." Jaehyun recalled with regret and gazed at her challengingly "As your boyfriend, I demand a rematch."

"I wouldn't want to upset my boyfriend 5 minutes into our relationship." She said trying to sound casual, even though her heart has hammering inside her chest.

Jaehyun smiled triumphantly "Smart girl."

Considering this was her rematch, Jaehyun stopped and waited until she came to him. Yeri fidgeted for a while before placing her hands on his shoulders and eventually closing the gap between them.

Unlike their previous interaction of the sorts, Jaehyun did not waste any time and kissed her back as soon as her lips touched his. It wasn't long before his arms were wrapped around her waist while Yeri's hands got tangled in his hair.

She was the first to pull away, feeling the need to come up for air. Looking up at Jaehyun, Yeri noticed he was just as breathless and his lips now had hints of her red lipstick on them.

Oh My.

"I think..." She said in a daze "I can get used to this."

"We are pretty adaptable people." Jaehyun stated hurriedly before bending down to kiss her again.

While Yeri had been careful and unsure, Jaehyun knew exactly what he wanted. He started off by gently pressing his lips on hers as one of his hands went behind her neck to hold her in place. His other hand settled on her hipbone, making Yeri gasp at the unfamiliar contact and giving him the opportunity to deepen the kiss.

Yeri had always been bossy and a little bit of a control freak. She liked taking the lead and Jaehyun had no problem indulging her in that sense. But maybe that was best friend Jaehyun. This Jaehyun was commanding and much more assertive but she had to admit he was also extremely attractive. Yeri was pretty sure Jaehyun could've literally asked her for anything at that moment and she would've said 'yes' without as much of a second thought.

They were both so focused on each other that they did not hear the front door opening or the chattering of Irene and Joy as they looked for their maknae.

"Yerim-ah, we're hom..." Irene said absentmindedly while walking into the kitchen, almost having a heart attack when she saw the scene before her "Oh my God! What are you doing to my baby?!?"

Yeri and Jaehyun immediately broke apart and Irene proceeded to hit him with her handbag.

"Ow! Noona, that hurts!" He protested, trying to block her blows.

"Good, you ert!" Irene yelled as she went on with her attack while Yeri just stood there in shock.

"Told you we should've ordered dessert..." Joy muttered, trying really hard to stifle her laugh.

Irene stopped in her tracks and glared at her "Is this why you insisted for us to dine out tonight?"

"They needed to sort things out!" Joy said, agitatedly pointing at the other two "And by the looks of it, it worked. Right, guys?"

Jaehyun and Yeri both smiled sheepishly but turned serious when they saw the appalled look on Irene's face. Yeri nudged him discreetly and gave him a look.

"Joohyun noona," Jaehyun spoke hesitantly "I would like to ask for your permission to date Yerim."

"Now you want to ask for permission?!" Irene stated in a mocking tone "Weren't you supposed to do that BEFORE shoving your tongue down ?"

Her comment made it impossible for Joy to hold it in any longer and the taller girl's laugh echoed through the apartment. Jaehyun started coughing uncontrollably and Yeri gently patted him on the back.

"Unnie," Yeri said cutely and held on to her leader's hands "It literally took us forever to get to this point. Please give us your blessing."

Irene's gaze softened but she could not help but glare menacingly when she locked eyes with Jaehyun, making him gulp in fear.

"Well, you do look ridiculously cute together." Irene finally said in defeat "But I'll be watching you closely, Jaehyun."

Yeri squealed in delight and went to hug her "Thank you, unnie!"

"Finally!" Joy exclaimed with a proud smile "Well, my work here is done."

Yeri and Jaehyun didn't even respond since they were busy stealing furtive glances at each other.

Observing the young couple, Irene closed her eyes as she felt a headache coming "Oy, how am I going to keep those two away from each other?"

"Sorry, unnie." Joy told her sympathetically "I'm pretty sure that ship has sailed."

~~~~~~

May 2018

Joy's statement had proven to be extremely accurate over the following weeks. Not having enough free time to go on an actual date did not stop Yeri and Jaehyun's relationship from blossoming. She was busy preparing for Red Velvet's tour in Japan while he was actively promoting with NCT as well as hosting his radio show in the evenings.

Despite being tired, they made an effort (which really wasn't an effort at all) to see each other even if just for a couple of minutes. Irene was still on full mama bear mode, but the other girls would always cover for Yeri so she could meet Jaehyun while their unsuspecting leader was asleep. It's not that Irene did not approve of their relationship. In fact, she absolutely adored Jaehyun and knew how kind and respectful he was. Still, Irene made no secret to the fact that Yeri was her favorite 'daughter' and she would do anything to protect her from the older boy’s raging hormones (as if Yeri did not have those hormones herself...).

After so many years of a purely platonic relationship, Yeri and Jaehyun were obviously treading uncharted territory and their dynamics had naturally changed. However, they both felt they now had the best of both worlds. They were still best friends, sharing simmilar interests and hobbies while supporting each other no matter what. The difference was that on top of that, they also got to share cuddles, kisses and exchange 'I love you's'.

Additionally, becoming a couple had helped balance the shift of power between them. To the mere observer, nothing seemed to have really changed, with Yeri still having her way in everything while Jaehyun happily followed. Bu