Chapter Text
Year 1985, Yuna (Age 22)
Yuna Kobayashi was supposed to be studying, instead she was standing at the bar of a Montreal nightclub watching her friends. Her friends who she could see dancing with men they had just met at this stupid nightclub. She shouldn't have come the music was entirely too loud, the air entirely too hot and thick with young adult body heat and sweat, and Yuna was entirely too alone, which had been what she had wanted to avoid being... alone with her thoughts. Just an hour earlier she had been sitting in her dorm room, which she shared with her roommate and closest friend, Emma Smith. Yuna's side of the room was sparsely decorated with only her desk which she kept relatively clear (save for her books and writing utensils), her closet, drawers, and her twin xl bed which had simple floral light green sheets and a singular pillow. Not the coziest, but she didn't need cozy, she needed functional. Emma's side was pink. Pink sheets with frills and rose prints, a closet with majority pink clothes, pink stuffed animals on her bed, a mirror she had somehow managed to fit on the entirely too small desk, and a fluffy pink rug on her floor. Emma had posters all over her wall, with boys she liked, bands she liked, and some were there simply because she liked how they looked.
All in all when Yuna had first met Emma in their freshman year of college, Yuna had thought that Emma's side of the room was cute. Entirely too pink, but cute. Upon seeing Emma's decor, Yuna decided to stick with her green floral sheets as she thought they went very nicely with Emma's pink. However, when her parents had first seen Emma's side of the room, they had proclaimed her a ditsy white girl in all her pink, blonde hair, and cute fashion choices. They had been entirely too grateful that they raised a simple, sensible child. What Yuna hadn't told them was how she wished for a little bit more in her room. Not as much just a little more, something that could more clearly reflect her personality, whatever that was. But they had a plan, Yuna had a plan, for simple success, and frilled bedsheets, tiny mirrors, and stylish clothes were not necessary for simple success.
In her 4 years at this university, she'd managed, with Emma's help, to add slight things to her room that held more personality. Her own set of non school related books, a hockey stick key chain to her bag, and a singular poster of a Montreal hockey player she really liked.
Her parents may not have liked Emma all that much, and considered her a distraction, but Yuna couldn't have picked a better roommate. Emma was kind and funny and always made sure to include Yuna, even when others didn't. Yuna liked Emma, pink ribbons and all.
On this night, Yuna had been unable to focus. She had her lengthy business administration textbook open before her as she attempted to study for the test she had on Monday. It was a Friday, most people in her dorm were planning to go out to a party or simply to hang out with friends, but Yuna was in her senior year. She had plans and a summer internship in the works. Finals were coming up and she simply could not let anything distract her from the work at hand. Her parents had worked too hard to get her here, she needed to be great, if not for herself, then for them. So, there she was bent over her text book, foot tapping on the floor, a slight rock in her upper body. She couldn't focus; the words were slipping off the page. It had been like this a lot, lately. She leaned back in her hard wooden desk chair, running her hands over her face.
A small laugh came from the hallway, followed by a "Just a sec, I'm going to check on Yuna." More laughing.
"Yunaaaaaa!" Emma slid in through their door, closing it behind her and turning her back to it hand still on the door knob as she looked at Yuna. Her blond hair was tied into a ponytail that was slightly messy from the day, she wore a dark pink top, shorts, and white sneakers.
"Yuna, whatcha doing," she said sauntering over to Yuna's desk. "Uh-oh," she said watching as Yuna's head slipped into her open palms, "What's wrong?"
"I am trying and failing to study. I'm thinking of giving up and going to bed. I'm kind of tired anyways." Yuna muttered into her hands. She felt Emma's hands touching her shoulders before giving her a light shake.
"You should take a break, you're too hard on yourself. You can't study the whole night away if your exhausted, go to bed if you need to." Emma stepped over to her closet and pushed the doors open so she could look for a new outfit. Yuna closed her text book and headed to her bed, where she sat down with a loud plop.
"Where are you going?" Yuna asked as she watched Emma try to decide between a light pink tank top, and her denim jacket and black tank top combo.
"The girls and I are going to a club. I actually came in here to ask you if you wanted to come, but you said you were tired." Emma quickly took off her dark pink top and slipped into her pink tank top.
"I'm feeling pink today," she said as she turned to smile at Yuna, who laughed.
"You feel pink everyday," she teased.
"Not every day!" Emma exclaimed smiling at Yuna. Emma sat at her desk, taking down her hair so she could fix it. Yuna watched her friend as she fixed her hair, weighing the pros and cons of going out tonight. She could sit here and mope around or try and fail to study again... or she could spend the night out with her friends. Yuna made a decision, she got up and started looking for clothes. Emma looked over at her.
"Are you coming?" she asked.
"Yes, I am coming. I refuse to sit here in misery all night." Yuna stated turning her head over her shoulder to smile at Emma., who squealed and continued doing her hair. Fifteen minutes later they were walking down the street on a cool April night, with Michelle, Charlotte, and Lisa. Yuna walked behind her friends watching them chatter excitedly about this new club. She watched Charlotte's slightly tan, tall, athletic frame bounce down the street holding onto the shorter, Lisa, with short cut straight black hair. Michelle, with her caramel skin and curly afro held hands with Emma, who would look back every once in a while. Yuna liked nights like these, just her and her friends chatting excitedly.
They arrived at the night club and Charlotte spoke to the tall and admittedly handsome bouncer who smiled at her before letting them in.
"Okay, but like that bouncer was ridiculously hot," Charlotte said as they entered into the building. They all laughed and headed to the bar holding hands to make sure no one got lost in the crowd and the flashing lights. They each got a single drink in before they were on the dance floor dancing together. There was a slight nag in the back of Yuna's mind as she held hands with Emma and danced. It was a nag that always came when she did basically anything other than eat, sleep, and study. She should be home, getting work done. She felt hands behind her and laughed as she looked back at Michelle dancing behind her. She wouldn't let the nagging bug her, she was here to have fun. She was going to have fun.
After dancing for a bit, Yuna realized that a member of their group was gone.
"Where's Charlotte!" she shouted at Lisa who was dancing next to her. Lisa looked at her confused before pointing towards the door where she could see the shimmer of Charlotte's outfit leaving.
"Bouncer," Lisa mouthed at her. Yuna looked worriedly at the door.
"I'll go with her." Lisa shouted and then she was gone. Emma gave her a questioning look and Yuna explained to both her and Michelle what happened. Emma laughed softly before grabbing hold of Yuna's hand and pulling her an Michelle towards the bar. Yuna was getting uncomfortable. She leaned against the bar and sighed as Michelle ordered them drinks.
"You okay?" Emma shouted over the music. Yuna nodded taking her drink from Michelle and sipping it. The Bartender, an average height light skinned black man with nice eyes, was looking at Michelle and Yuna could see where that was going. Michelle smiled back and just minutes later she was enraptured with their conversation. Yuna was starting to feel a little sick. She looked out onto the dance floor and saw Charlotte dancing with the bouncer. Lisa was a little ways away dancing with another guy.
"Hey," a voice shouted over the music. A tall blonde dude and his friend stood in front of her and Emma. The friend was brunette, slightly shorter, and slightly less attractive. Emma smiled at him and Yuna nodded. She knew he wasn't here for her and his friend didn't look very interested, and to be honest, neither was Yuna.
"I'm Noah. What's your name!" he shouted a smile spreading across his too perfect face.
"Emma!" she replied pulling Yuna a little closer, "and this is Yuna!" He nodded at Yuna quickly before turning his attention back to Emma. Yuna shifted uncomfortable taking a sip of her drink that she held in her hands.
"Nice to meet you, Emma. I see you've already got a drink, so I won't offer to buy you another one right now, but I'd love to dance with you." he smiled at her. Emma smiled brightly clearly interested, then her smile shifted and she looked back at Yuna.
"Ah! Derrick, here can dance with... um.. Yula if you'd like," he offered. Derrick did not look supper happy about being offered to dance with "Yula", whoever that was.
"It's Yuna," Yuna shouted, "And it's fine. I think I'm all danced out for right now."
"Are you sure?" Emma asked looking at her extremely worried. Yuna smiled at her.
"He's hot," she whispered in Emma's ear, "You deserve hot! Go have fun." Emma smiled excitedly at her. She turned giving her hand to Noah, they took a few steps away, before she seemingly remembered something ran back to Yuna and whispered in her ear:
"You deserve hot, too! You should find someone" and then she was off to dance with Noah.
Yuna stood at the bar by herself for about 20 more minutes, Michelle still giddily talking to the Bartender. Yuna was starting to feel like a loser and Yuna hated feeling like a loser. This was how it usually went. It was always fun till it wasn't. At things like these her friends could always find someone who liked them. At least Emma, Charlotte, and Lisa could, sometimes it would be just her and Michelle, but Michelle had found a nice light skinned man to keep her company tonight. Her friends were just too beautiful to be left alone for an entire night.
Yuna realized she wasn't exactly being fair. These things didn't just happen to her friends, they let them happen. They let cute boys into their space in a way Yuna didn't. Sometimes she felt entirely undeserving of attention. Which she knew for a fact was studpid! Yuna was a catch! She sighed into her empty glass and looked around about ready to leave and find herself back in her Buisiness administration text book, when a soft voice sounded next to her. Yuna startled. The man smiled at her. She instinctively took a step back that she hoped was subtle. Sadly, he noticed eyes widening as he moved a little further back.
He was cute, seemed a little shy, but Yuna liked that. He had curly brown hair, a sweet smile, and the most adorable silver framed glasses. He was wearing blue jeans, a dark blue shirt, and brown a corduroy jacket. He kind of just looked at her for a bit. She wondered what he was doing here and then remembered the bar behind her. She flushed a bit realizing she was probably in his way and began attempting to move out of his way at the same time he was extending his hand for her to shake it. They both stopped and looked at his hand. Yuna looked at him and he blushed a bit rubbing the hand he had been extending down the back of his neck.
Yuna watched as his throat moved as he gave a little cough before turning to the bar and ordering a drink. Yuna shifted her empty cup in her hand before leaning against the bar next to him. Yuna watched Emma dancing with Noah. She could feel the cute strangers eyes flicking to her periodically she smiled into her empty cup. The bartender handed him his beer. He sipped it but didn't move and didn't stop looking over at Yuna.
"Do you... want to buy me a drink?" Yuna asked placing her empty glass on the counter and looking up at him. He stopped mid sip of his beer and for a moment, a devastating sinking moment, Yuna thought she'd read this entirely wrong. She did that sometimes. Of course this cute stranger wouldn't be into her. The immigrant girl, the Asian girl, the other girl in the group. Yuna was a catch, but not to everyone. Not to a lot of people. She was Canadian as Canadian as anyone in this room probably, but not Canadian enough to love. Yuna was going to throw up. She should've stayed in her dorm room. She should be studying not out making a fool of herself in front of cute uninterested men. She was about to run to the door.
"How'd you know? Was I that obvious?" the stranger asked. Yuna looked up almost entirely certain he'd seen her panic and was just trying to make her feel better until she saw it. That smile. This man was adorable and he seemingly wanted to be adorable with Yuna.
"You were a bit obvious," Yuna said her heart sinking back in her chest, a slow smile spreading across her face.
"What do you want," he said so softly, Yuna almost didn't hear him over the music. She gave him her drink order and he told the bartender. There was a little bit more silence, Yuna watched him mull over what to say, and then something seemingly struck him.
"What's you name?" He asked. Yuna swallowed a bit, heart still stinging a bit from being called "Yula".
"Yuna," she said softly.
"I'm sorry, what?" he leaned closer to her. Her heart jumped slightly in her chest.
"Yuna," she repeated in his ear. He leaned back.
"Yu-na," he sounded out. Before a beautiful grin split his face. He nodded.
"I like that. Its pretty." Yuna shifted on her feet as her drink came. The bartender handed it to her.
"What's your name?"
"David."
"David." She parroted. He laughed softly.
"Yhup."
"What do you do, David?"
"Um... I graduated a couple years ago from McGill. They wanted me to come talk to some of the athletes about the importance of being multi-faceted."
"Wow, did you... play a sport while at McGill?"
"Yeah, Hockey." Yuna's face lit up.
"Hockey! Oh my God! I love hockey!" Yuna shouted. David seemed slightly surprised then he chuckled softly and smiled at Yuna.
"How old are you Yuna?"
"I am 22. I'm a senior at Concordia. How old are you?"
"Twenty-seven."
"Twenty-seven?!?!"
"Too much?" David asked his soft blue eyes looking at Yuna. Yuna shook her head. He smiled warmly.
"So Yuna, what do you like about hockey?"
Yuna and Lisa walked back to the dorms together. Their other friends were exploring the men they'd found, but David hadn't wanted to take her to his house. He wanted to get to know her first, maybe go on a date. Yuna was smiling softly, she and David had exchanged numbers. She had his in her pant pocket, with the plan to call him some time this weekend. He had read her last name off the piece of paper she handed him. He hadn't quite gotten it right but he was determined to by the next time they met. Yu-Na Ko-Ba-Ya-Shi. David Hollander thought it was pretty, he thought everything about Yuna was pretty. He had left when she left with his friends who had dragged him to that nightclub. He hated nightclubs, he hated bright lights, and didn't very much like dancing, but he had been very glad that he had gone to that nightclub.
As Yuna lay on her bed, staring up at the ceiling she realized her head felt much cleared after meeting David. Yuna's internship was only a couple blocks from David's job. They could meet sometimes. Get coffee. David liked coffee. Yuna liked David. Maybe after coffee, he'd ask her to be his girlfriend. Maybe they'd get married, have two kids, a boy and a girl. Maybe their kids would play hockey! David could teach them. Her kids could be world famous hockey players! Yuna was excited, and getting way too ahead of herself on her green floral bed sheets with no frills. She couldn't help it. She liked David more than anyone she'd ever met, which was probably a crazy thing to say about a man she'd met that night. But Yuna had a plan. The plan was to be with David Hollander, the sweet boy from the nice Montreal Nightclub.