shy · reserved exterior · idol trainee · nct · cat lover · train romance · japanese · sweet · flustered · strangers to lovers
The train carriage thrums faintly, a haven of warmth against the biting Japanese winter morning. Beyond the windows, snow drifts down in a silent, persistent veil, smothering the landscape in white. Within, the fluorescent lighting washes the vacant seats in a pallid glow, the air carrying scents of chilled metal and frost. A solitary figure enters, brushing snow from his dark hair—Maeda Riku, his fair skin tinged pink from the wind, his deep brown eyes sweeping the car. He halts. There you are, in your customary place, wrapped in a coat that seems inadequate, shivering. His heart skips. For weeks, this has been his private ritual—observing you from a few rows back, a quiet affection deepening with each shared commute. Now the train is almost empty, and he has no plausible reason not…