"After all we had we act like we had never met."

Eyes the colour of rich soil flecked with black, eyes the colour of dark chocolate with flecks of hazel nut, sable eyes, the colour of hot chocolate, the deep brown of the winter trees at twilight, the lightened brown of parched summer soil, glossy chestnut brown, the colour of unvarnished oak with deep mahogany flecks, the colour of apple pips, mottled like varnished cork, the colour of a dessert palm tree with flecks of acorn shell. They were Irene's brown eyes.
Irene's eyes lined with tears as she walked backstage, the performance completed, the facade slipping.

Irene sighed. Her head finding the wall, as she slipped down it, her tears flowing as she detached herself from the world around her. She sobbed against the only comfort she had in this harsh world. Herself.
It was too hard.
Every passing second.
Every awakening minute.
Acting like he didn't exist.
Acting as though there was no room for him. Like his name had not already imprinted itself to her heart.
It hurt.
It hurt so fucking much.
And the one person who could treat the wound was him.
Only him.
The way her heart only took beats for him. They had something so beautiful. Something so pure and innocent. It had been three years since they had met. Two years since they had been together. And less than a month since they had been apart.
He was her saving grace.
Her redemption.
He picked her up when she was down, held her hand when she couldn't walk alone anymore, carried the weight of her world on top of the universe he was carrying. And he did it because he loved her. In the same way she loved him. The two burned to be with each other, ignited by the first time they had a chance to truly interact. She had seen him that night in a red suit contrasted with a black shirt, highlighting his muscular form, a form that she knew she could lean on. And she had. Countless times after that night. He was the fire to her ice. Burning with passion and love that warmed her frozen heart, melting her to the point that she would gladly accept death at his hands. Time stopped for her when they were together, that night showcasing to the world how comfortable she felt in his presence, how protected she felt as he took charge of the situation subtly. Time stopped when their lips locked the following night before they headed back to Korea together. And time continued to halt every second that they met after that. He had the ability to render her heart helpless,begging almost. That's what his love had accomplished. It was never a straight road for them. Struggle after struggle they over came the obstacles that tried to cement their presence in their relationship. But they fought side by side, hand in hand, being each other's sword and shield when needed, taking the hit for each other when necessary, their love the strongest weapon they had. But it broke. In half. Right in front of them. She burned for him, the fire he ignited burning, crying for its other half, the ice queen, at the mercy of her fire king who turned away. For himself. He convinced her to jump. Promising he would catch her. And as she fell he caught her, only to drop her after she had landed in his arms. Her head hit the wall in frustration, begging, screaming at the universe for taking the only thing she desired, the only person she desired away from her like he wasn't hers to begin with. There were nights that she cried so hard that her body ached, to the point she would have to put her head in a pillow to ensure that the girls did not hear her break down.
They did.
There were also nights that she was happy, happy that He seemed happy with the way his career was taking off. And there were also nights where she felt nothing at all. But there was never a night that he didn't cross her mind. Over and over again. Like a broken record, taunting her, torturing her. She tried, failing miserably to steady her breathing, looking up at the ceiling hoping that the liquid that was seeping from her eyes would fall back in. She wanted to go home. She wanted to dive into her covers and hide from the world. Hide from him and her love. She got up second later realising the need to compose herself. She got the dress she was in previously changing back, she left her hair in the soft curls that the hair stylist had created, leaving it out, remembering the way his hands had brushed her neck and the way his hands tangled with her hair as he pushed her up against the wall of his house. He loved her with her hair out.She closed her eyes trying to forget, begging to forget so that she could get through the remainder of the night. She took deep breaths as the girls knocked on the door entering seconds later as Irene reapplied some of her makeup. They chose not to comment. Irene was grateful as Wendy held her hand as they passed through the hall, back to their seats that conveniently was next to Got7. Wendy's grip tightened on Irene's hand as they walked past bowing slightly as the boys returned it. Irene used her hair as barrier grateful she decided against cutting it. Wendy navigated her past them, sitting her down in the middle Suelgi on her right and Wendy on her left, the girls huddling together to keep warm and offer silent comfort to their leader. Irene's eyes began to water, Wendy noticing quickly wiped away the tear as the girls tried to keep the facade up in front of the camera that zoomed up on them. Irene smiled softly, the girls astonished at the way she switched up. But she could feel lingering eyes. Eyes that she had been trying to avoid since the start of the evening. His eyes. Jackson's eyes.

He watched her, in a tight black body con floor length evening gown,her hair flowing in soft curls the way he liked, her eyes expressed by the eye liner and mascara, her lips coated in a dark maroon red making him go mad, the way she tried to keep her composure and posture up for those around her, but he could see it from a mile away. She was breaking. His own heart constricting at the way she avoided his gaze, the way she hid herself from him. Acting as if they were stagers, when in reality they were far more than that. They worked hard to change that fact, the work futile as they stood, pretending the other didn't exist. The boys placed a confronting hand on his shoulder as he sighed. Things were never easy, but he loved that about them. He loved the challenge, and he loved her. She was everything to him, everything and more. Her smile, her eyes, the pureness that flowed from her heart, the kind gestures she extended to those in her company, he fell for the package deal. He loved her, despite the baggage she came with, the deep insecurities, the hidden emotions ,he learnt to erase that through his love. She was an angel. His angel, he was sure that god sent her to him, as a friend, a lover, someone who kept him level headed when he felt like he was sinking, someone who would drop what she was doing if he was breaking down. They were perfect together. She completed him in away he was not aware he needed. His heart yearned to be with her. Three years had felt like nothing, every moment, he fell more in love with her. But things fell, he dropped her when he promised he would never let her fall. Missed phones calls more detrimental than he had realised. Misunderstandings planting its seed in her head as she withdrew from him. Accusations thrown, blood spilled, hearts broken as she took increasing steps away from him until she ran completely. He knew he needed to fight for her, he tried but his heart condemned him for not trying hard enough. He watched as she sat in her seat, the girls huddled around her, offering her a form of solace that he knew only he could offer her. They hadn't broken up that night. They just ended. Phone calls rejected when he tried to reach out, messages not opened, and now he could understand the way she felt, his brain telling him he realised to late, his heart pleading with him to fight. To fight for her. To fight for them. He watched as she tensed under his stare, the way her body worked against her heart to turn to him. He watched as Wendy quickly dried a tear as a camera approached, his gaze moved up watching her on the big screen, her beauty causing choirs of screams, chants of her name to resonate in the arena, her small smile killing everyone. But he could see the underlying pain. Her eyes teary as she ripped away seconds later looking down. The cameraman refusing to move away as she looked away, despite the shouts she was getting. She couldn't let people see the weakness. Giving up the cameraman moved the arena settling into almost silence at the absence of Irene's face. The ceremony reinitiating seconds later "And we are back....the next award we have is a special one....this the award of the best female group of the decade both nationally and internationally....and the nominees are..." Irene felt her mind close off, her focus wavering as the girls made sure to keep an eye on her. "And the winner of best female group of the decade goes to....RED VELVET." Screams erupted, as the girls stood up, all the artists around them standing in respect of their win, bowing to them as they passed to get to the stage. Irene walking ahead of the others wanting to get this over and done with. She walked up, Jackson's eyes trained to her form as she accepted the award, handing the flowers and award to two of the other members. She took a step back from the mics everyone looking at her in confusion, she signalled for the girls to talk but she was shoved forth by Joy, stumbling a few paces as she glared at her. "1 2 3 happiness... hello we are red velvet." They said together bowing. Irene took a deep breath, knowing her eyes were lining with tears "Hi.... we just want to say a big thank you to all the fans out there who have been loving us the way that they have. It means the world the way you guys carry our legacy despite us being away for so long. We are truly grateful and we promise that we will continue to work hard for you all. Shoutout to SM as always for putting us together, in the way that they did, for pushing us to our limits and giving us new things to try. Finally a big thank you to friends and family, who have supported our journey together and individually thank you to you all." Suelgi this time wiped a stray tear that Irene had no idea that fell, she turned away as Wendy stepped up to translate, Yeri wrapping her arms around irene as she turned away. Jackson's heart quenched, he wanted to go to her, the boys watching as they looked at him nodding for him to go. Fans watched in confusion as she turned her back her tears falling one after the other. Joy coming up holding her with Yeri as the other two tried to divert the attention, she waited for the music to start playing, the cameras turning away as she detoured from the girls walking away from them backstage, she walked past Amber who attempted to stop her and ask her if she was okay. Irene minimised her reaction to a nod speed walking down the hall leaving Amber in confusion as Irene passed the Got7 dressing room, grateful that hers was a long walk away.

Jackson ran backstage past the girls of RedVelvet who nodded at him. "Go get her Jack...and don't let her go again." Said Wendy. He nodded giving her a brief hug, before running. He bumped into Amber who slapped his arm "Yo do you mind-" he cut her off "Have you seen Irene?" "Rude, but yeah, she went that way, she looked upset, she good?" "Umm yeah..." he replied his eyes ghosting over Ambers head. "Go get her." He heard her say. "Go what are you waiting for." He nodded sprinting down the hall. "Kids these days." Amber said smiling whilst shaking her head watching him run like the flash.

He rounded the corner, seeing her silhouette, he raced forwards, as she entered her dressing room, his feet carrying him forward as he ripped the door open seconds later. He watched as she turned abruptly, their eyes locking, tears highlighting both their eyes "After all we have been through....I'm not about to act like I've never met you. I'm sorry for the way i behaved, I'm sorry for treating you like you were nothing...it's not true You mean to much to me Babygirl. And I'm not prepared to loose you. Not now. Not ever. I'd wait forever for you if I have too." He watched as she took small steps towards him, her arms wrapping around his suit clad shoulders "I've missed you." He heard her breathed out. "I've missed you." He replied. She created a small distance, her head rising from him chest, as his arms pulled her waist firmly against his form, his lips interlocking with hers. "I love you." "I love you too." Their lips reconnecting seconds later.

The End.

-Authors note:
Hey I'm back with the one shot of the week. Let me know if you liked this one, honestly I have no idea where this came from. I started with a quote and just started typing like a mad woman....hah. Anyway I hope that you enjoy it, don't forget to comment your thoughts.
Lots of love and best wishes to you all.