#unproofread bc who has time for that?

[maegalkarven]

Empty prayers

Logical continuation of the AU where everything flies off the rails at the Moonrise Towers:

https://www.tumblr.com/maegalkarven/731364247822598144/au-where-dark-urge-didnt-loose-memories-and-the?source=share

Following the derail of all of his plans by his own hands, Lord Enver Gortash contemplates the future. Luckily, he doesn't have to do it alone.

m!Dark Urge x Enver Gortash, Karlach.

"I don't think he will answer."

Enver doesn't turn around to look at the bhaalspawn. He hears the crunching of dead leaves and sticks under the man's boots and feels a familiar presence close to his shoulder.

Regardless of that, he does not turn.

There's a small, carefully constructed altar in front of him. Perfect, it looks like, perfect with the offering and the incense burning.

Yet his god is silent.

"Enver, really, I don't think Bane will-"

"He has to," comes out a little bit harshly, a little bit forcefully. There's a bitter taste of desperation on his tongue. He pushes it back. "I am his Chosen-"

"I don't think you are anymore."

"I am," he insists as his voice rings louder, pitching to a high, urgent note. "I am the Chosen of Bane, I am his Hand, I am his Voice, I am his Will; and he will answer me."

He feels Nemo's piercing stare burn into the side of his face, but does not look up. Does not meet the familiar honey of the gaze he thought he has lost.

Does not think of all the implications this gaze brings.

Nemo is alive, here, next to him; so close Enver can touch him.

Yet somehow everything is ruined.

A pair of firm hands lay on his shoulders gently and he almost flinches at the touch.

But it's just Nemo.

"No," his bhaalspawn whispers softly. "No, he will not. You have failed him, my dear, just the way I've failed father. You chose wrong," Enver tries to move away from the touch, but the man's fingers only dig in deeper.

"You should have pushed me into the pool. You should have taken Orin's side in the conflict or did not intervene at all. But you," a deep, heavy sigh and a weight of Nemo's body pressing against Gortash's back.

"You chose me. Consciously or not, but you put my survival above everything else; above our plan, above your alliance, above your god. And gods like your and mine do not tolerate disobedience."

"You created this plan with me," Enver tries. "We were brilliant together. Orin has ruined everything; she could not control herself. She was a liability-"

"She was the Chosen of Bhaal," Nemo whispers right into his ear, the breath coming out hot. "It was not your place to decide if she was liability or not. And anyway, I don't think this is why you did what you did."

"It was her own fault," he tries again and feels like a child trying to avoid the punishment. He remembers, long time ago, in a house he prefers to not think about, in a cell what was his home, he used to plead the same way.

Raphael never listened.

"And Ketheric's; they compromised the plan, they put everything in danger, I was just trying to fix it, to put things right-"

Nemo hums.

"Have you tried telling Bane that?" As the matter of fact, he did. "I doubt he'd take this as an excuse." He didn't. "Bhaal beneath, Ketheric was right, wasn't he? Gods only answer when they have something to say. I guess Bane has nothing to say to you anymore."

"He will answer me," Enver insists with the persistence of the damned. "He needs me."

"He really, really doesn't," Nemo presses himself closer and Gortash allows himself a moment to lean back into the touch, to seep out any comfort it provides and feed to his weary soul.

Nemo. Nemo. Alive.

And it only took everything to go to the hells for that to happen.

"I know he hears me," Enver tries again.

"Oh, I have no doubt he does. But Enver, darling, don't you think this whole...fiasco would look bad for Bane? Don't you think the most sensible thing he could do would be to wash his hands clean of this?"

Enver hates to admit Nemo is right; it would be the sensible thing to do. It would be what Gortash himself would do in Bane's place: abandon the lost cause and move on. Find another, better Chosen.

Only there's no better Chosen than him.

"I am the only one who can realize all of his plans," he tries not to think about it. About his Steel Watch, unstable with one of the stones in control of the Brain. Of the cult of Murder under the foot of a thrall of the said thing, of the prodigal murderer as a meat puppet of the entity beyond their comprehension. Of Ravengard, untadpoled, no doubt giving a speech at the inn right now.

Everything went to complete and utter shit. But he can fix it; he can. Surely Bane knows that.

Surely Nemo does.

Nemo lets out a dark, unkind type of a laugh.

"You just destroyed all of his plans," he murmurs almost lovingly. "All and every single one of them. There's no recovering from that, only moving forward."

Enver hates what Nemo is right. And he hates what he knows what Nemo is right. And he hates Bane, and he hates Orin, and stupid Ketheric with his stupid sacrifice for a bitch of a daughter who did not deserve it, and he hates Raphael - honestly, fuck Raphael; and he hates his parents, he hopes they'll die, and he hates Karlach and her big open heart what was ripped out yet is still somehow inside her ribcage-

And he hates Nemo for how much he cares for Nemo, and really, all of this is actually his fault, if not for him, then-

"Are you done with your pity party?" And speak of the devil. Oh, well, a tiefling with infernal engine for a heart. "Duke Ravengard is holding a council," typical. "And your presence is required."

His old friend gives him a short, bitter look.

"This is not a pity party," Nemo argues and the woman snorts.

"Sure looks like one. Gods, it truly is a sign, isn't it?" She whistles. "I used to think I want to see you dead, but seeing you like this, fallen from grace, demoted to what you have always been - that feels even better."

A bubbling, bitter anger raises in him and Enver moves to stand-

"Oh, cut out with this," Nemo interrupts, his hands still firmly on Enver's shoulders. "He saved my life."

"And this is what I still don't understand," Karlach argues. "But it doesn't really matter; this is me actually playing nice. Trust me, if I've decided to give him back the treatment he gave me, he would not be standing right here. Or, well, sitting right here."

"We are all in the same boat now," Nemo tries placidly. "Dealing with the consequences of-"

"-Enver Gortash's actions."

"Our actions. I was involved, remember?"

"You didn't have a choice," she argues. "Bhaal made you; cut from his very own flesh. You have known no life but what your evil father showed you. You were not acting on your own accord. He," an angry gesture at Gortash. "Acted on his own accord. And sold me to Zariel. So she could rip off my heart and make me an unwilling soldier in her war."

"Oh, stop playing the victim," Enver snarls. "I gave you a chance to be something greater than you were. I gave you a chance to be stronger, better, invincible. With this engine no one could touch you, no one could hurt you. It was practically a dream come true and you threw it away, the ungrateful brat you have always been."

Fire erupts from her engine, wrapping itself against Karlach's entire body. Her eyes blaze as she steps forward, and for a moment Enver almost feels...That can't be it, he is still wearing his coat.

He scrambles to his feet, reaching for the crossbow. Bane is silent, he will always be silent from now on, but Gortash doesn't really need him, he doesn't need anyone-

"I'll make you choke on these words," Karlach threatens and damn it, why does it take so long to fix up his damn crossbow, is it broken-

Then a small, thin figure moves to stand between them.

Nemo looks...so insignificant compared to Karlach; he has no fire engine running in his chest, he has no muscles to rival hers, he has no claws and no horns.

Just plain looking half-elf with a crooked dagger in his hand.

"No," he says firmly. "You will not kill each other. Either you two calm the fuck down or you'll have to kill me first. And," a quick glance behind. "I really don't think this is what either of you wants."

"Nemo," Karlach frowns. "Step away. He had it coming-"

"No."

"Nemo-"

"No," the bhaalspawn snarls and something sparks in his eyes, deep, dark and deadly. Bhaal is here. Bhaal has gone nowhere.

Orin was wrong.

"You are not killing him, you're not as much as harming him, Enver Gortash is mine."

Karlach actually looks taken aback at that.

"Yours to do what?"

"Mine to keep, and mine to torture and, if it comes to it, mine to kill. But he is mine and he will stay that way. Bane is finally out of the way, so don't think I'll let you interfere."

"Nemo, this is- You're not exactly-"

"He is the only fucking person who has ever got it," there's a bleeding desperation oozing from the spawn's voice.

"The only man to be my equal. The only true partner I had ever had. I went to the Moonrise Towers with the dreadful knowledge I'd die here, with the belief this man would stick a dagger so deep into my back it'll protrude from my chest. And instead," he is breathing heavily, his broken, pathetic mess of the murderer. Perfect.

"He saved me. He took my side in a fight what had nothing to do with him. He chose me when it was an an obviously stupid thing to do, he has forsaken everything by letting me live. You cannot have him."

They stand like that for a while in a complete silence.

Karlach, double axe in her hands and shock mixed with pity in her gaze.

Nemo, breathing heavily, hands trembling, his own blade digging deep into the flesh of his palm, a thin red string of blood trailing down into the dirt.

Enver, mesmerized, taking in every breath, every shift of his unlucky, broken, forsaken mistake of a lover. Elevated by the sheer force of his devotion.

They need no gods but the ones they create. They need no gods but themselves.

Finally Karlach sighs and lowers the axe.

"For you," she drops down, turning away. "Only for you, for everything you've done for me and the friendship we have. But make no mistake, I am watching him," a rude gesture Enver reciprocates. "And if he does one wrong step, his messy fucking head will come flying off."

"I'd like to see you try," Enver starts and immediately gets kicked into the ribs with Nemo's elbow. Brat.

"Alright," the bhaalspawn smiles. "Thank you. You said something about the council?"

And somehow the end of the world gets delayed for just one more day.

[bitteriekitten]

kisses for the mama.

synopsis — the l&ds finding out and meeting your baby for the first time.

content — fem!reader, singlemom!reader, fluff, angst, babies, you have a daughter (twin daughters in sylus's) in all fics and she has no set age (i have no concept of how old babies can begin speaking in full sentences and express themselves authentically. so.), mentions and implications of the ff: death, weapons, toxic relationships, toxic baby-daddies, emotional abuse, abandonment, illnesses, hospital visits, and probably so many more that i've overlooked. lmk if i missed anything !!!

featuring — xavier, zayne, rafayel, sylus, & caleb (separate fics)

notes — that poll i made was def interesting... everyone has baby fever huh.. yknow what me too 😔 but IMO writing this in jus one sitting is honestly better than going out and actually getting a baby. this was unproofread bcs i'm tired and in this house we rawdog everything. and yes, the baby names came from katseye members SUE ME their recent single slaps so good idgaf

Xavier didn't question it when you would be so eager to get home by 6 P.M. everyday. he felt that he was the same exact way, speeding through the work day like he was going to be late for his bed.

but he was surprised to find you waiting near a popular daycare center in linkon. he happened to be passing by the street to get to jeremiah's shop when he noticed you. still in full uniform, you kneeled by the door and waved to someone inside the building with a tired but excited smile.

xavier froze on his spot when a little girl speeds out of the door and into your arms. the girl looked like a smaller version of you, with the addition of small dimples and hair in short pig-tails. she squealed excitedly as you stood up with her in your embrace, her little arms wrapped around your neck, refusing to let go.

it was then the little girl's eyes spotted xavier that he realized he was blatantly staring. before he could move away from you undetected, you had already turned around and locked eyes with your co-worker. two similar-looking faces stared at him, one in shock and one in confusion.

"oh- xavier, hey-" you stammered as the hairs on the back of your neck began to stand.

"hi." xavier replied, unsure of what to say. the little girl's eyes, unblinking, turned to you. at such a young age, she already knew how to raise her eyebrow.

"mama, who that?" she whispered, loud enough for xavier to hear.

you kissed her temple, "a friend from work, my love." you replied simply. much to his surprise, you walked towards xavier, to which the little girl tightened her arms around you in caution.

"xavier, this is lara." you said, running your free hand over her head and back. "my... daughter."

xavier smiled and bent down to meet lara's eyes. "hi, lara," he said. "i'm xavier, i'm your mom's friend from work."

lara stuck out her little arm at him, and it took him a second to realize she wanted to shake his hand. xavier chuckled, but complied anyway, her hand barely wrapping around his finger as he shook it once.

"you fight wanderrrrs like mama?" she asked pointedly.

"yes, i do." xavier replied with a grin.

xavier abandoned all his plans with jeremiah that afternoon, sticking by your side - or really, lara's side. the train ride home was quiet, save for lara's hundreds of questions for xavier, who answered her with utmost sincerity.

xavier learned that lara liked to speak in incomplete sentences and disregarded syllables altogether, creating her own unique vocabulary just because she could. she also liked to cling to your uniform like a tiny koala, but smied at anybody who she thinks would smile back.

in just a matter of minutes, she somehow already had xavier wrapped around her stubby fingers.

"mr. shaver, i wanna hunter-rer like you and mama."

you giggled as lara finally managed to pick up xavier's name, albeit a bit wonkily with her current speaking skill. but xavier didn't mind - he likes it. he loves it.

"yeah? you wanna be big and strong like your mama and i?" he asked.

"mhm. but i don't want boom-boom." lara sighed dramatically. she covered her ears with her tiny palms and quickly took them off, "hurt ears."

xavier didn't miss the way your smile faltered, and how your arms cradled the back of her head. his lips pursed together, his chest tightening at the sight - at the thought of you struggling with a baby under your wing.

"it's okay, my love. you don't have to use boom-boom." you replied, trying to keep your voice leveled. lara, adorably unaware, leaned further into your affection.

"mama sleepy." she declared with a big yawn. you began patting her back comfortingly. "okay, just sleep, love. i'll wake you up when you get home." you said.

lara quickly dozed off with her head smushed against your chest, your heartbeat lulling her to sleep. xavier glanced up at you, eyes softening at your expression.

"are you alright?" he asked cautiously, scooting closer to you on the train seat.

"...yes." you replied after a moment, running a hand over your mouth. "it's just... i wasn't expecting her to say that."

it was clear that there was something underneath your tone, behind the eyes that held only love and protection over your daughter. xavier remained silent, because maybe that's what you needed from him.

"i caught her dad at our old house with my gun." you said quietly. xavier's jaw clenched and his heart skipped a beat, eyes looking over your daughter with alert and distraught. you sighed to yourself and pulled lara impossibly close.

"she was asleep inside her bed, and he just... i dunno, he came home from the bar that night completely drunk. he was right outside her door and i just- i lost it." you whimpered.

xavier did not hesitate to wrap an arm around your shoulder, pulling you and lara into his chest. "you're here now." he told you firmly, finality lacing his voice and spreading onto his hold over the both of you. "he's not here anymore, and i'll make sure of it."

the walk back to the apartment was easier, where lara's laughter resounded the halls of the building as she rode on xavier's shoulders up to your floor. xavier, with his iron grip over your daughter's legs, mimicked the sounds of a rocket ship flying over space as he took her on a galactic adventure.

they walked on before you, with you following behind them with a fond smile and a fond heart.

Zayne, like any other person, didn't prefer to work late. but it was getting impossible to finish his workload by the end of the work day, so he's been chained to his desk inside his office at ungodly hours.

it was 3 in the morning when he'd gone out of his office to get himself a cup of hot cocoa, when he spotted you by the vending machines. he rushed over to you, surprised to see you at akso hospital at this hour. hearing his hurried footsteps, you turned around just as you picked up your snacks.

your eyes widened as he quickly approached you. "y/n? what're you doing here? are you hurt?" he asked, his eyes poring over your figure, frantically searching for any injuries.

"dr. zayne! uh-" you gulped. zayne's heart pounded - he couldn't find what was wrong. you were in your pajamas, your eyes bleary and hair in disarray, but you didn't seem to be in any pain or discomfort.

"what're you here for? did something happen?"

"i-i'm fine, but..." you cleared your throat, scratching the back of your neck. "um, m-my daughter caught that stomach bug that's been plaguing over the schools this season."

zayne must've heard wrong, "daughter?"

"yes. my daughter, manon." you awkwardly replied, the snacks in your hands crumpling. "she's been vomiting non-stop at home and she just got that fever hours ago - i was just overwhelmed, i didn't know what else to do." you said, your voice becoming watery by the second.

"no, no - you did the right thing by bringing her here." zayne quickly reassured you, pulling you into his arms for a tight embrace. you took a moment to hug him back, your arms wrapping around his waist tightly. you let out a long shaky sigh against his chest as he patted your back gently.

you were the first to pull back from his embrace, wiping away the stray tears that clouded your vision. "w-would you like to meet her?" you asked, "i promised to get her some snacks - she was complaining about the fish you served here."

zayne chuckled, "of course. lead the way."

after a short trip down an empty hallway and into one of the private rooms, zayne watched as you gently woke manon up from her sleep. the little girl, with eyes and smile shaped the same way as her mother's, instantly spotted zayne standing by the doorway. she looked at him in confusion, then back at you, "mama, who's that?" she asked, voice weak.

you smiled at zayne and turned back to your daughter, "that's dr. zayne, love. he's my friend at the hospital."

zayne closed the door behind him and walked over to manon's bed with a small smile. "hello, manon. i'm dr. zayne. how are you feeling?"

"my tummy doesn't hurt anymore." she deadpanned, pointing to her stomach hidden underneath the bedsheets. zayne nodded, "that's impressive. you should eat right now, though - you must be starving."

manon nodded and you moved to give her the snacks you got from the vending machines.

your daughter was dozing off again in a few minutes, thankfully without any other complications. you took the granola bar from her grip and carefully adjusted her head onto her pillow, cleaning off the crumbs from the corner of her lip. you moved to stand by the window with a heavy sigh, zayne following beside you.

for a while, it was silent between the both of you, watching manon sleep without fussing or being in pain for once. zayne awkwardly cleared his throat, "if you don't mind me asking, where is manon's father?"

you smiled, albeit bitterly, "probably high in some casino right now." you replied. zayne's frown deepened as he crossed his arms, "i know - it was stupid. he was an old classmate that i happened to catch at a bar, and one thing led to another..."

you rubbed a hand over your face, "i tried to make it work with that bastard, i really did. but he just left and -" you cut yourself off with a deep sigh. you breathed out slowly, to which zayne stepped closer to you with his arms wrapping around your figure once again.

"it's alright. i'm here now." he whispered into your ear. surrounded by his endless warmth, you crumpled into tears, digging your face into his shoulder as you cried. zayne hummed, looking up onto the white ceiling, willing to do whatever it takes to take away your pain. to take away the suffering you endured to keep manon happy.

Rafayel was astonished to find out that, even after months of you working for him as his bodyguard, he still had a lot of things to learn about you.

save for instance, the tiny girl standing in front of him in his studio that looks a little too much like you. she had on a bright pink beret on her head and her hands tightly gripped an octopus plushie, the one that he remembered winning for you at the arcade. she shyly smiled up at rafayel, a smile that had him second-guessing himself. was he dreaming, and has finally met his daughter that looked exactly like you?

you stood beside her, your smile mimicking hers. you nudged the girl gently, "say hi, baby." you told her.

"hello, mr. rafayel! i'm megan. i really like your paintings." the girl greeted cheerily and outstretched her arm to rafayel for him to shake. despite how stunned he was, he managed to pull himself together and shook megan's hand.

"hello megan, i appreciate it. why do you look like miss bodyguard?" he deadpanned.

megan's smile dropped and turned into a pout that looked exactly like yours, which ran a bolt of electricity down his spine. she turned to you with confusion, and you chuckled as you bent down to pick her up in your arms.

"rafayel, this is my daughter, megan. i wanted you to meet your biggest fan." you replied. megan smiled once again, "mama is right - i am your biggest fan! i really like your paintings." she said sweetly.

rafayel was frozen solid to the ground, barely able to process what you just told him.

"i'm sorry - daughter? you have a daughter?" he asked incredulously.

"yes, raf - she's right here in front of you." you replied exasperatedly, laughing at his disbelief. "can i show her around the studio? she can't shut up about you at all."

in just a few minutes, rafayel shooed you away from your own daughter, instead making a grand tour of his art studio just for megan. "you stay right there on the couch, and watch TV or something. that's an order." rafayel demanded.

you snorted; it was hard to take him seriously when he just basically snatched megan from your arms into his. but it seemed like you really had no choice in the matter. after making sure your daughter was okay with being left alone with your boss, you complied to his wishes.

it was a sight unlike any other. it was a good thing thomas never shows up at the studio unannounced.

rafayel, for once, was doing what he was supposed to be doing at his art exhibitions - showing off his artistry, explaining his techniques, and poring over the decisions he made in every brushstroke. all while megan, even as she was struggling to comprehend everything, took it all in, absorbing the memory into her brain like a sponge.

"now this, ah..." rafayel grinned widely at the unfinished painting situated on his easel. he bent down to place megan back on the ground and picked up the canvas from the easel. it was a painting of a sunset by a beach where he had spent several nights with you after another one of his spontaneous inspiration trips.

he paused. that trip lasted over three days, and you had traveled over seven hours just to sit and chat with him while he sketched. and to think you did all that while your daughter was probably at home, barely able to check up on her because of the terrible cellphone service at that resort.

looking down at megan, he forced himself to smile, "megan, when your mama's away on a trip - where do you stay?"

the little girl hummed as she hugged the octo-plushie to her chest. "i stay at my dad and step-mama's house, but i don't like it there. it's so messy and loud all the time - and i miss my mama too much." she replied simply, honesty dripping out of her voice.

rafayel bit his lip, indescribable guilt building up in his chest and up to his neck. he reluctantly set the painting back down on his easel and turned to megan with a half-smile. "megan, how about you and your mama come with me to an inspiration trip right now?" he asked.

megan tilted her head. "insporasho- what?"

rafayel chuckled and kneeled down to her height. "we're gonna go to a beach, or an island, or somewhere - and you'll help me pick the colors for my next painting." he told her matter-of-factly, "isn't that great?" he grinned widely when megan's entire face lit up in excitement.

"oh my gosh, really?! i gotta tell mama!" megan shrieked and ran back to where they left you in the living room. rafayel laughed as he followed behind her, hands in his pockets as megan rushed to tell you.

climbing up your lap with great effort, megan repeats rafayel's words through her limited vocabulary. "mr. rafayel wants to go on a beach trip with us, mama! i wanna go! let's go, mama!" she exclaimed.

you grinned at her as you held her in your arms, "of course we can go, baby. as long as it's alright with rafayel." you said.

you glanced up at rafayel, who was smiling fondly at the both of you. he nodded at you and sat down on the couch next to you. "you both deserve it." he muttered, grabbing your hand and kissing your knuckles gently.

Sylus had noticed from the beginning just how close you were with the twins, but he never really knew why. the two seemed to hang onto every word you were saying, and they also somehow knew the right thing to do to have you instantly give into their whims. you seemed to be able to communicate with the two in a way that he couldn't.

but sylus just chalked it all up to you being a kid at heart, and the twins were still young and wanted something to do other than be his henchmen 24/7. maybe the twins just liked having somebody else to be with at the base other than their boss or some random business partner.

it was at a linkon mall event that it finally clicked for sylus. you asked him a few days before that you were holding a little dinner party at your place, just because. sylus, though confused, obliged with the invitation, speeding down the streets with luke and kieran in the backseat to get to your apartment building on time.

luke knocked on your door and adjusted his jacket like it was a suit. kieran nudged him and they both burst into giggles. sylus, even more confused, raised an eyebrow at their antics - it was probably a twin thing.

"i'll get it!" two little voices sounded from behind the door. sylus held his breath as the door opened, where two twin girls stood behind it. his heart launched up his throat, staring down at the girls whose faces look a little to familiar.

luke and kieran bore the same shock as their boss, "wh- what?" kieran trailed off.

you emerged from the kitchen in a simple sundress and an apron around your waist. you grinned at your visitors. "oh good, you're here." you said, walking over to the entryway. resting each of your hands on the twin girls, you moved them out of the way for the three men to enter into your apartment. "come on in, you guys."

sylus's brain short-circuited - it finally dawned on him why the twin girls looked familiar. as he and the twins entered your apartment, he took a good look at the girls; they looked exactly like you.

"y/n... what is the meaning of this?" sylus spoke carefully.

you chuckled and crouched down to the girls' height. "these are my daughters, sophia and daniela." you replied simply, as if you were just simply replying to a text on the phone. "sophia, daniela, these are our friends - that's sylus, luke, and kieran."

sophia, the twin who's dressed in pink, smiled widely up at luke and raised her arms, "wook!" she exclaimed happily, to which luke immediately scooped her up in his arms, his face crumpling.

daniela, the shier twin who's dressed in white, hid behind your leg when kieran kneeled down to her height and tried to do the same. kieran, though dejected, clutched at his chest dramatically, muttering about how cute this whole thing was.

"it was about time you got to meet the most important people of my life, you know?" you said with a chuckle.

sylus scoffed again - all the times you and the twins wreaked havoc at the base finally made sense. he walked over to you and pulled you in for a hug, his head dipping down to kiss the top of your head.

"you're the bravest woman i know." he whispered, his voice wavering slightly. you returned his hug gratefully, sighing into his chest.

the dinner went by quite eventfully. sophia laughed at everything luke and kieran did at the dinner table. even sylus joined in on the fun by trying to balance his spoon on his nose, to which it clattered onto the table that sent sophia into a fit of giggles. meanwhile, daniela observed the whole table quietly, cautious at the amount of new people that had entered the little world you built for the three of you.

but the twins made sure to give her just as much attention as they did with sophia, albeit through a reasonable distance. the whole table cheered when daniela finally managed to bring out a little laugh when kieran pretended to be defeated by a spoonful of mashed potato straight into the face.

after dinner, both sets of twins sat in the middle of your living room, your tv playing an old kids movie. luke held daniela in his arms both already half-asleep, while kieran fully laid down on the couch bleary-eyed with sophia already dozing off on his stomach.

you smiled fondly at the sight just as sylus walked up behind you after doing the dishes. he wiped his hands on his pants and snaked a hand around your waist, pulling you close to him.

"when i said you're full of surprises, i didn't think it was this, kitten." he whispered into your ear. you giggled and moved to face him just as he was about to land a kiss onto your ear. "there's a lot you still don't know about me, then." you teased.

"what, that you have other children with dumbasses who don't know what they had?" sylus joked. you threw your head back with a laugh and sylus took this to kiss down your neck and collarbones.

"no - you'll be more surprised that they talk a big game but leave anyway." you replied, and sylus doesn't miss the way you still sound bitter, still angry that you had to do it all alone. he hummed as he nuzzled into your skin.

"surprises or not, i'm here now." he told you firmly. "i'll keep all three of you safe. luke, kieran and i will make sure of it." he promised, hoping the sincerity was present in his eyes and voice.

you landed a kiss onto his shoulder, breathing in his scent, his warmth, his security.

"thank you."

Caleb was on high alert by the time you sent him an can you help me out with something through the phone. he immediately dialed your number, listening to the other line ring twice before you finally picked up the call.

"what's wrong?" he asked.

"woah, hey - not even a hello, caleb?" you joked.

"you sounded pretty serious over text. is something bothering you?" he asked. you hummed, and caleb briefly wondered if someone was bothering you. it had been a month since he returned after faking his own death, and he swore that he'd make it up to you in any way you allow him to. if it meant getting rid of something that made you uneasy, or someone, he'll do it. no questions asked.

"well, kind of - but not in a way you think." you said.

caleb's eyebrow raised. "explain."

you were silent again, and worry gnawed at caleb's system - "how about you just come over? it's better if i show you than to talk about it." you said instead. before caleb could ask more questions, you cut him off with a "bring snacks!" before hanging up the phone.

in an hour or so, caleb had arrived outside your apartment, carrying an armload of snacks he stopped to get along the way. he knocked on your door, anxiously biting his bottom lip as he waited for you to answer.

when you opened the door, you quickly gestured for him to be quiet just as he was about to nag you. he clamped his mouth shut and gave you one of the bags he had when you gestured for him to give it to you, entering your apartment after you.

"why are we being quiet?" he whispered.

you gestured to your kitchen, where a brightly colored bassinet stood near the sink. "yoonchae's sleeping, and unless you want to go deaf from her crying her eyes out, you don't wanna wake her up." you replied just as quietly.

nothing was registering into caleb's brain - who was yoonchae? why was there a baby in your apartment? "whose baby is that?"

you set down the bag onto your coffee table, hesitating for a moment. you turned to caleb with a sad smile, "mine." you said. "yoonchae's my daughter."

caleb's knees wobbled, as if the news was suddenly weighing him down by his shoulders. he dropped the bags he was holding and sped over to your side, gripping your arms tightly. "y/n, say it isn't true..." he gasped.

you grinned at him, "i'm being serious, caleb."

"oh my god." caleb rubbed his face. he cautiously walked over to the bassinet, his entire heart in his throat. inside the bassinet was indeed a baby, your baby in fact - she looked exactly like you, her mouth pouting in her sleep the same way you do. yoonchae's baby mitten graze against her puffy cheek, and she shifts in her spot for a moment before going back to motionless again.

"pipsqueak..." caleb gasped again.

"i know," you sighed, walking up behind him and wrapping an arm around his waist. "i was supposed to introduce you to her a while back, but you were always busy at the fleet." you muttered.

"h-how? when?" he asked.

moments later, caleb, with his evol, successfully managed to move the bassinet to the living room without waking yoonchae up. he also figured out how to turn on the bassinet's feature where it rocks side to side to keep her soothed while she slept. he sat on the floor facing yoonchae, with you situated between his legs.

"it happened a month after you and grandma passed." you admitted quietly. "i ran into one of my classmates at university, and we ended up talking for more than just 3 hours at a bar. then... well - one thing led to another." you chuckled humorlessly, then sighed, leaning back to caleb's sturdy chest. "people make decisions on a whim when life seems to fall apart around you." you mumbled.

caleb's arms tightened around you, pressing a kiss to your temple, his heart aching. the thought of you barely able to keep yourself alive after he had passed, and then finding out that you were pregnant and about to become a parent on top of that - it punches something in his chest.

"he was helpful when i told him about the pregnancy." you said with a bittersweet smile. "he referred me to the best pediatricians he knew, helped me baby-proof the entire apartment, ordered a bunch of things for my overnight bag for when i go into labor, all that stuff. he made sure he was going to be there for us, for me, up until when yoonchae was the size of a blueberry."

"he left?" caleb asked, struggling to keep his voice leveled. he'd hate to cause a scene and run the risk of waking yoonchae up. and that's not what you needed right now.

"no, no. he-" you cut yourself off with a sharp breath. caleb turned you around in his hold and quickly wiped away the tears brimming in your eyes. "he p-passed away just after we found out the gender."

"oh pips, i'm so sorry." caleb sighed, cradling your head into the crook of his neck.

"we... we got into separate cars because he still had to work after the appointment. and- and a truck basically just bulldozed over him on the highway-" you sobbed into his skin. caleb shushed you gently, stroking your hair out of your face as he wiped away your tears with his thumb. his heart ached further with each soft sniffle you made; things should've been different.

"i did what i could for yoonchae, even if it meant that he wasn't with us anymore." you whispered.

"and i'm proud of you, pipsqueak." caleb said firmly, holding your face in both of his hands, your cheeks smushing together. "i may have not been here for when you were growing yoonchae in your belly, but i'm going to be here for you from now on."

you gave him a watery smile and wrapped your arms around his neck for a tight hug. caleb hugged you back just as fiercely, tears of his own springing up in his eyes. that was a promise, made from deep inside the tendrils of his heart.

after a while caleb pulled back from you and tucked your hair behind your ear with a smile, "did you call me here just so you could have a babysitter?" he teased.

despite the tears and the snot dripping down your face, you laughed. "you caught me..." you mumbled, still giggling.

caleb couldn't even be angry, he couldn't be as he kissed the palm that rested against his cheek.

"i'll be here for the both of you, pipsqueak. no matter what." he whispered.

taglist 𓂃۶ৎ jus tagging random users <3 hope u enjoy!!!

@zuhaeri @almondtofuus @syxlx @berrryparfait @usertala @c9tnoos @sylusslittlekitten @sylusbigapples @dollyswishingwell @museuranae @multisstuff @atlasbreaks @daddyslittlecrow @dysphxriaii @vesearlee @zephilyr @kunipoka @serendididy @thearynn @qiyukiss @celestialforce @sixeyedgodswife

[wazzappp]

Weird thought. Could be sad or could be dark.

What if Movie!Khaji Da is acting/was acting at least in the beginning of it?

Like, the Siri/Alexa/Cortana/thing. What if that’s fake, and the Scarab is acting to make them (mostly Jaime) less afraid of it. Either bc it’s aware of pop culture opinion around AI (and is downplaying itself so they’re not scared of it so much), or is still loyal to the Reach and wants Jaime to trust it bc it’s an infiltrator.

So skittish Khaji Da acting robotic and hiding its emotions until like the end of the movie, post the synchronization thing (bc it’s scared of their opinions).

Or Khaji Da working to gain Jaime’s trust and pretending to not understand human stuff (and playing into pop culture expectations of androids/ai/robots/etc) so that way he doesn’t question the whole “world killer” thing.

Either long-term manipulation with bad ending (reach takeover), or Khaj slowly comes to actually care for Jaime/his family (possibly bc the Reach do treat it like an Alexa [actually wait 3rd option, it acts like an Alexa for a while bc it was made to act like that (subservient, emotionless) for the Reach, and thinks they want it to act like that?], while the Reyes’ actually like. Address it. And care about each other. [and possibly Khaji Da itself] So it starts to feel guilty, decides “fuck the Reach” and comes clean to Jaime.

Have this mess (unproofread) bc I am procrastinating on other tasks.

(If general/non-body horror ideas are not something you’re interested in, you can tell me to stop)

ACK FUCK SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO GET TO I THOUGHT I RESPONDED TO IT ALREADY I JUST CHECKED MY ASKS AAAAUGHHHH!!!

I really do enjoy khaji being more mechanical just because it's how they are. In my opinion it makes their development so impactful because it requires them to literally break their own coding. Go against the very fabric of your being, what you were MADE for, to try and be something more like yourself even though you don't know who that is yet.

Khaji only PRETENDING to be more robotic has some very very interesting potential though. Attempting to fit in a box your entire existence and then literally only being accepted once you step outside that box? Jeez, what a disorienting experience. My poor little murder bug :'(. They would probably end up needing a LOT of reassurance from Jaime. Just in subtle ways to make sure it's truly better that they behave as a person and not a tool. It would take soooo much time to build khajis self confidence and autonomy back up from that. Therapy. SOOOOO much therapy for the both of them on god.

[maybeimamuppet]

2, 5, 9, 11, 16 for the fic asks?

hello darling friend tysm for the ask!!

2, will you participate in any fandom exchanges or fic challenges, etc?

if i’m asked to absolutely!! i think they seem so fun but being in smaller fandoms i think they’re a lot harder to figure out. i’ve actually considered forming a few of my own for like halloween or the holidays and stuff but i’m kind of the only cadnis writer still somewhat consistently active and everyone else who writes for mean girls is into very different things (which is great we love to see it but it makes group stuff hard lol) and matilda i haven’t checked up on in so long i have no idea what’s going on in that little corner anymore whoops

5, which wip is first on your list to complete this year? will you post a snippet?

we are continuing my beloved series of ‘someone has to write all the cliche fics for this ship and by golly it might as well be me”! from the looks of things the first one to be finished will be a college au (professor/student) that i’m honestly really proud of. i’ve been hammering away at it for a while lol. but we also have a few more like that and obviously plenty more that aren’t that i’m not gonna spoil just yet but i’m very excited for them :)))

“As long as I’m your professor, this can’t happen, no matter how badly I want it to,” Cady says with a sniffle. She gently presses a kiss to the corner of Janis’ lips before she pulls away and takes a couple steps back. “I’m so sorry, Janis.”

Janis watches her go for a minute, barely feeling the frigid rain slamming against her face. Cady hunches in on herself and clicks off. “What about when you’re not my professor anymore?!”

Cady freezes and turns to look at her. “What?”

“Once I graduate,” Janis begs. “Can we be together then?”

“…Technically, yes, we could,” Cady says. “But-”

“Wait for me,” Janis says. “Please.”

Cady bites her lip, but she nods after a second. “Okay.”

“You will?” Janis asks, finally feeling hopeful enough to smile for the first time in what feels like years.

“I’ll wait,” Cady agrees. “If you’re willing to do the same. Come to me once you graduate, and… we’ll see what happens. Okay?”

“Okay,” Janis says, smiling around a sob. Cady does the same before she continues walking away.

unproofread snippet brought to you by maybeimamuppet :)

9, short term goals… what do you hope to complete this week or in january?

i’m really hoping to have that and the next chapter of pt done by the end of the month!! my third writing birthday is at the beginning of march and i’m really hoping to have a batch of fics ready to crank out by then :)) matilda is kind of wonky for the time being bc i have very few wips and i need time to sort through which requests i can actually do/want to do so they might be a while but focusing on my meanies for a while will be a nice change i think!

11, would you like to try any new fanfic genres or tropes this year?

i don’t think i do!! at least not in fics lol i’m good with my romance and family fluff sorta genres i’m in but i am trying to write a few publishable like real actual books that are a little different so we’ll see how that goes!

16, do you have one fanfic that you wrote a ton for, ages ago, but never posted? will this be the year come hell or high water that it WILL get finished and posted?

UHHHH honestly most of my wips are kinda like that lol. i hyper focus on one and then get bored with it and move on to a new one and herein lies the cycle of Big Issues. so i have a lot of like half-done oneshots (including requests i literally got in 2021 and am sobbing trying to get done i feel so bad). i do have an entire folder of ‘unpublishable fics’ that will never see the light of day. they’re mostly just writing exercises but some of them are just really embarrassing so most of them stay there lol. and i have a multi-chapter The Good Place au i started years ago and couldn’t figure out other than the title but i only wrote a couple scenes for it but that probably also won’t ever see the light of day. ce la vie ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[heeracha]

ep 50. / ep 51. — the flower arrangement by the cashier. / ep 52.

buy one, take me. — l. heeseung

synposis: with his best friend asking him for help because said best friend was scared he wasn't "boyfriend material" enough, heeseung looks for flower shops for his best friend's girlfriend. thankfully, jake knows someone from the university who has an aunt that owns a flower shop, you. now, heeseung messages you and shyly, but shamelessly asks if he can get any promos or discounts to which you shamelessly answered him, "buy one, take me". heeseung doesn't pass on this, of course. after all, you are pretty damn cute.

pairing: heeseung x flortist!fem!reader

content/genre: college au, slowburn, fluff, angst and crack, smau.

warning(s): swearing, of course. two idiots aka heey/n. just some sadness <3 unproofread hehe

note: im closing the taglist okay? i dont wanna be rude but dont ask me bcs i cant say no 😭 so im just going to say that taglist is close ,,, okay see u on ep 53 <;3 playlist

the sound of the curtains dragging against the rod wakes heeseung up along with the sun rays going through his window. he groans, looking up to see jay opening his window. “hey, good morning,” jay says and heeseung sighs, turning back and closing his eyes. “heeseung, come on. it’s been four days since graduation. time to get up.”

heeseung groans. “go home, jay.” he grumbles and jay sighs, looking at his best friend as he scratches the back of his neck. jay sits on the edge of the bed, looking at heeseung who was under his covers. 

“what did y/n say?” jay asks.

“does it matter?” heeseung asks.

“i’ll help you fix it, like you did with ae-cha and i.” jay softly says and heeseung sighs, wiping his tears off before removing the covers off his head.

“there’s nothing to fix. we weren’t even together in the first place.” heeseung says and jay sighs.

“but it was getting there, anyway,” jay says and heeseung sighs. “we don’t know what’s taking the two of you so long.” he says. “but it doesn’t matter, come on, let’s go to her fix it—”

“jay, she told me not to call her.” heeseung says and jay sighs.

“what happened? tell me, come on.” jay says and heeseung sits up, sighing.

“we were supposed to meet that night you and ae-cha fought. i forgot because—i’m not saying it’s your fault—” heeseung says and jay rolls his eyes, chuckling. “but you were panicking so much, i just needed you to calm down, so i forgot about y/n. then when you ran off, she texted me and i said i can’t make it, something came up. then i saw ae-cha, i comforted her, y/n saw it.”

heeseung sighs, looking at jay. “i know it doesn’t make sense why y/n suddenly—”

“she knows, doesn’t she?” jay asked and heeseung only raised an eyebrow. “that you were in love with ae-cha.”

heeseung looks at jay who shrugs. “how did you know?”

jay chuckles. “you suck at hiding it, at least, to me.” he says. “i know you like the back of my hand, hee. i knew it since ae-cha and i got together, it made me feel bad, honestly. and, i’m sorry for asking for help for our anniversary. i really don’t know who to go to, but you.”

heeseung shakes his head. “if you didn’t, i would still be hung up on her and i wouldn’t have met y/n.” he says and jay nods. “why are you not mad?”

jay chuckles, shaking his head. “it’s not like you can control it. what can you do? besides, you didn’t jeopardize our relationship. you always helped me, even if i’m not asking for help.” jay says and heeseung chuckles. “back to y/n.”

“yeah, she knows.” heeseung says. “it’s how we got closer. she just knew when i talked to ae-cha. she was scared that i’m just using her to get over ae-cha.”

“but she still took the risk,” jay says and heeseung shrugs. “i heard from sunoo that y/n was on the edge the past few days. i’m thinking it wasn’t just the ae-cha thing. it’s just what pushed her to the edge and burst.”

heeseung looks at the side, thinking of something. “shit,” he says and jay looks at him. “we were going to talk about something. she was going to tell me something.” heeseung says as he stands up on the bed, jumping off as he goes to the shower to fix himself.

jay waits for him and when the taller boy is done, they both run to jay’s car as he drives to the flower shop. jay drives as fast as he can and when he pulls up, heeseung opens the door, climbing out of the car as he pushes the door open, going inside. “y/n, flower?” heeseung calls, leaning over the counter to see if you were there, just like when he first properly met you. 

but you weren’t there.

heeseung sighs, stopping when he sees his flower arrangement in front of the cashier counter, along with the origami flower bouquet he gave you. why is it there? not in your room?

“heeseung, sweetie?” the called boy hears and he turns around to see your aunt. “what are you doing here? did you need something?”

“i need to talk to y/n, is she upstairs?” heeseung asks and your aunt only gives him a confused look. “we were going to talk about something last week, but we got into a fight. i just want to fix things with her.” 

“oh,” your aunt says. “sweetie, uh, y/n left.”

“left?” heeseung repeats. “where?”

“sunfloral,” your aunt answers.

“that’s on the other side of the world.” heeseung mumbles and your aunt nods. “when is she coming back?”

“she permanently moved there, sweetie.” you aunt softly says. “her flight was yesterday.”

“how? she never told me she applied, we always tell each other everything.” heeseung questions.

“she didn’t know she applied, too.” your aunt chuckles. “remember the family reunion thing?” she asks and heeseung nods. “her parents started going off again about her course and how she will never get anywhere, she was tired of it, she was crying, she got drunk, she wanted to call you because you said to call you if something happens. but i stopped her because i’m worried that she might say something stupid. i took her phone, she went through my laptop and next thing i knew, she sent an application.”

heeseung nods, looking down and your aunt sighs, opening her arms to which heeseung accepted, hugging your aunt. “i’m sorry, sweetie.” your aunt says, running her hand up and down his back. “i really thought she told you. when she came home crying last week, i thought she told you and you two broke up.”

heeseung sighs, letting his tears fall as he closes his eyes.

“she’ll be back. that’s for sure, okay?” she says and heeseung nods.

but everything would have changed by then.

[etherealino]

kisses, lmh

‣ synopsis: time passes by, his kisses evolve and so does your relationship with him.

‣ genre:  college au, fluff, angst (if you squint)

‣ warning(s):  swearing, guy tryna force reader to like him (more like they fight actually), reader gets in a fight but i didn’t really described it lmao. shshshs im sorryyyy

‣ word count: 8k+

‣ note: this is unproofread!! please, i said to myself i was not going to post another minho fic for a whole ass month or so but i was feeling it and this is the only thing i could write for. also, this is like the softest fic i’ve ever written. also, if you’re confused with reader’s course,, that’s fine bcs me too but somewhere in the music field lmao i honestly wrote this in a very unorganized way, sigh

one. – accidental kiss

hwang: y/n, where are you??

you: main gate, why?

hwang: the professor’s looking for you! didn’t you promise him last semester you wouldn’t be late anymore?

Oh, shit. You sigh. Honestly? The only reason why you made that promise was because you thought he wouldn’t be your professor anymore this semester. And seriously, it’s the first day of the second semester, who would have a class right away? Right, your torturous of a professor.

You ran, not minding anything but to get into class right away. You wanted to just flip everything over right in front of your professor. You can rant and rant about his shitty attitude, his large ass nose for being nosy about everything, his love for humiliating his students right in front of the whole entire class. You can rant about how you wanted to kick his shin, throw him across the river, slap him with the 1000 word handwritten essay paper right in front of the whole class. But you know it in yourself, you won’t. You have to forget how much of a war freak you are because you need to pass his class.

Pent up frustration being in your mind, you finally stepped on your building turning to the corner to the stairs only to bump into something. Or rather, someone. You felt something soft and gentle against your lips when you bumped into that person and you sigh, bending down to pick the person’s book up.

The person didn’t move an inch, still standing in his position where you bumped into. Weird. usually, a person would bend down, too, to pick their book up. You stood up, looking up to see someone gorgeous. Lee Minho. Ever since you entered the university, you had this huge crush on him and you won’t even deny it if someone asks you.

The sun rays that entered through the transparent window enlightened his brown hazelnut eyes and highlighted his features. But why is his hand over his lips?

Oh, shit.

You put a hand over your own lips. Shit. You accidentally kissed Lee Minho.

Not being able to say anything, you ran off going to your class.

Minho stood still, his eyes wide as you ran off. he shared a conversation or two with you from the past years being in the university, but you two never really became close. Whenever there are times that there are close opportunities the two of you would be left alone and when he’s about to strike up a conversation, a block mate of yours would come and get you needing you for something.

Minho runs his hand through his face and up to his hair as he looks around, hoping no one sees how red his cheeks are currently. He starts to walk and in the middle of his small journey to his class, then he stops as he suddenly realized something. He looks back to where the incident happened.

Shit. You have his book.

two. – kiss on the hand

After that very humiliating incident that happened, you would always avoid Minho everytime you see him ahead of you. As for the book, you asked Hyunjin to return Minho’s book. Of course, Hyunjin being a teasing friend would ask. “Why do you have his book?”

You blinked, stammering. “W-What?”

“I said, why do you have his book?” Hyunjin asks with a teasing smile on his face. You wanted to slap it off.

“I saw it on the ground and it has his name on it.” You said with a shrug. Hyunjin smirks and you really want to slap him. He doesn’t even know about your crush on Minho and he’s here making you flustered about Minho.

“Where?” Hyunjin asks.

“What?”

“Where is his name?” Hyunjin asks and you looked at the book. It has no name on it. But you were too embarrassed about your encounter with Minho.

“Look, I saw him drop it and when I picked it up he was already gone. I don’t even know why I said I saw his name there.” You said and shoved the book on Hyunjin’s hands. You look behind Hyunjin when you see Minho coming your way. Shit, he looks so good. Black jeans, white shirt, a denim jacket and his backpack slung on one shoulder as he walks and most likely, Minho would speak to Hyunjin since they’re very close friends. And most likely, you would get all bashful around him.

“I’m gonna get going,” you say, turning around, but Hyunjin grabs your arm.

“Hey, we have the same class, remember?” Hyunjin says. “Let’s go together, chill. We won’t go late.” You bit your lip, thinking of something stupid to get away from him. Then, you looked up.

“You see that, Jin?” You ask, pointing at the ceiling as a way to distract the tall boy.

“What?” Hyunjin asks as his grip loosens, his head tilting up to look where you pointed. You pull your hand off and ran away from your friend. Hyunjin’s eyes widen, following your every move as you push your way past through the crowd, clumsily bumping into someone occasionally.

“Hey,” Hyunjin hears as a pat on his shoulder was placed. Minho smiles at him, leaning his shoulder against the wall as he looks at Hyunjin.

“Hey,” Hyunjin smiles and his eyes land on the book he’s holding. “Is this yours?”

Minho looks at the book and sees that it was the book you took with you when the embarrassing encounter happened. “Yeah, how’d you got it?” Minho asks as he takes the book.

“Y/N saw you dropped it and she asked me to give it to you,” Hyunjin explains and Minho’s hand comes up at the back of his neck.

“R-Really?” Minho says.

“Yeah,” Hyunjin said. “You took up literature, right?”

“Yeah, Mrs. Kim.” Minho answers and Hyunjin smiles widely.

“Great, we’re having the same class.” Hyunjin says and Minho grins. Hyunjin decides that it was time for them to go now so they wouldn’t be late for the class. Hyunjin and Minho walk together, talking about the most random things the boys could think about. When they arrived at the lecture hall, Hyunjin immediately spots you sat on the back at the very corner on the window.

Hyunjin comes to you, taking the seat beside you as Minho follows him. Minho sees you and his first instinct was to look away. “Hey, Y/N,” Hyunjin says. “Why were you rushing earlier?”

“B-Because I feel like it.” You dumbly answer and Minho chuckles to himself quietly, knowing that you probably saw him coming ahead and that you were just as embarrassed as he was.

“Guess what?” Hyunjin asked.

“What?”

“Minho’s in the class, too!”

ring.

You looked down to your phone, seeing Jisung called. thank, God. “Look, Jisung called.” you said and you stood up from your seat, taking your phone with you as you exit the classroom and answered Jisung’s call.

Minho sighs in relief, still not ready to face you after the embarrassing happening.

When the professor enters the class, so did you. You put your phone to silent and started to pay attention to the professor in front.

“I want you guys to act out Romeo and Juliet by pair,” your professor started after the greeting. “Each pair would act out each scene. This class is for two hours, right? One hour for practice and the other half for presentation. Are we clear?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Okay, for the pairs,” Mrs. Kim started to announce and you weren’t paying attention, really. until your last name was called. “Y/L/N and Lee, act 1 scene 5.”

What? No, no, no, no, no. Lee? As in Lee Minho?

“Oh, wait. Sorry.” Mrs. Kim says. “There are two Lee’s in the class.”

Please, be Felix. Please, please, be Felix. You silently prayed, hands clutching against each other underneath your desk. You’d do anything—everything, just not do a project with Lee Minho, a guy you accidentally kissed and to make it even worse, on the lips. Although, wow, his lips were soft and gentle. Even if you didn’t realize it at first, his lips are soft. But it was—

“Y/L/N with Lee Minho.”

No! You look at your partner who was just a sit apart from you. He looks.. unaffected. Maybe you should be, too? I mean, it’s already been a week since it happened. But no, it was too embarrassing. Not only did you kiss the guy’s lips, but you also brought his book with you by accident. You bit your lip, holding everything in your power to not slam your head against your desk.

“Okay, go to your partners.” The professor announced. You sighed, standing up. You look to where Minho is, but he was already right in front of you.

Minho cleared his throat, his cheeks growing pinkish red. “H-Hi,” he mumbled as he stuttered all over and you wave, your cheeks growing red, too, knowing that if you speak, you will most likely embarrass yourself again. “You know what act 1 scene 5 is?” He asks. As time passed by, things got less awkward, the incident went at the back of your mind, not touching it anymore. By the time the teacher announced that it was time for the presentation, You and Minho were beyond ready.

“Your hand is like a holy place that my hand is unworthy to visit. If you’re offended by the touch of my hand, my two lips are standing here like blushing pilgrims, ready to make things better with a kiss.” Minho said with so much sincerity, goosebumps rising in your skin, feeling yourself freeze as you look at him in the eyes. He stared back as you felt yourself get lost into the galaxy of his eyes. It was then you realized, Lee Minho was more than just a college student who loves dancing. Yes, you had a crush on him since you first saw him, but it was only then you realized that maybe you always want to get lost in those galaxies in his eyes. Lee Minho is a happy person, a teasing one, they say. But when he gets to work, classes or dancing, he gets so passionate. Then suddenly, Minho takes your hand in his, giving the back of your palm a gentle kiss. You just hope Minho couldn’t feel your heart beating so fast.

But you didn’t know, Minho was feeling the same way as you are.

three. – kiss on the cheek

After the Romeo and Juliet presentation, Minho would always come with you and Hyunjin. Things got less awkward, no one brought up what happened the first day. It was lunchtime when you and the two boys met up from different classes. “I want to throw myself on the river, who wants to join?” You ask when you sit beside Hyunjin on the table. Minho and Hyunjin chuckled, smiling at you.

“What happened?” Minho asked.

“It’s just plainly tiring,” you answered, folding your arms on the table and resting your chin on your forearms as you pouted. Hyunjin rubs your back gently and you close your eyes.

“Hey, eat something,” Hyunjin said and you sigh.

“I’m fine, I’m free for the rest of the day anyway.” You said as you closed your eyes. Your phone rang and you stayed in your position, not moving one bit. Minho and Hyunjin know that you would most likely pick it up by the last ring. But no, the last ring came and you didn’t pick it up.

Hyunjin chuckles, fixing his things as he slung his bag over his shoulder. “I have to go,” Hyunjin says and you open your eyes, smiling at him. You pressed a finger to your lips and pressed it against Hyunjin’s cheek. Everyone who is close to you know that you have a habit on kissing them on the cheek whenever they would see you or go off. Hyunjin chuckles and runs a hand through your hair. “Bye, guys.”

“Bye,” you and minho said as Hyunjin walks off. Your phone rings again and this time you finally answer.

“Y/N, where are you?” Jisung asks through the phone and you could feel his pout.

“Cafeteria, why? Classes just finished.” You said as you looked around the cafeteria, thinking Jisung was probably around already. But instead, you hear Jisung huff.

“You said you’re gonna help me with the new track.” Jisung whined and your eyes widen. You totally forgot that you promised Jisung to help him.

“Oh, no. Jisung, I’m sorry. I’m on my way. Classes just finished and it was tiring.” You said with a pout. “I’ll bring something to eat, do you want anything?”

“Oh, Y/N, I’m sorry. I didn’t think I’d make you feel bad. I’m in my dorm, anything would be great though.” Jisung answers.

“Okay, Ji. I’ll be there soon, don’t worry. I’m so sorry.” You said.

“No! It’s okay, take your time. Bye.”

“See you.” You said and hang up, pouting. You sighed. standing up as you looked at Minho who was smiling at you. “Will you be okay being alone for now?” You asked and Minho nodded.

“Don’t worry, I can crash in my dorm. I don’t have class anymore, anyway.” Minho says and you pouted.

“I’m sorry, it’s just I promised Jisung a long time ago and—“

“Y/N,” Minho cuts you off with a giggle. “I can handle myself. Stop beating yourself up for it, okay?”

You sighed, nodding. You leant, forward, bending lightly to kiss his cheek. “Bye, Min.” You said as you ruffled his hair, walking off to Jisung’s dorm. Minho’s eyes followed you, heart pounding against his chest. He thought your friendship wasn’t on the level yet. Minho smiled. It was nice to kissed on the cheek by you once in awhile.

As for you, you were a blushing mess. It was the first time you did that and you probably got carried away. Ugh, you just wanted to press your lips against his lips and now, you got to kiss his cheek. You were just lucky you got to.

You entered Jisung’s dorm with a wide smile on your face, looking like a little girl that was given a lollipop by the doctor. “What’s that smile?” Jisung asks in a teasing manner and you shook your head, trying to suppress your lips. Jisung laughs as he pulls a chair beside him.

“Where’s the food?” Jisung asks and you make your way towards him.

“The what now?” You mumbled and Jisung raises an eyebrow.

“The food..?” Jisung says and you brush a hand through your hair, realizing you forgot that you haven’t had lunch yet and you were supposed to bring food.

You’re so hung up on Lee Minho, geez.

four. – kiss on the eyelid

The stress was finally getting into you. You hated it. Everyone hates it. But why does everyone have to dump everything to you? You’ve finally had enough of it; you were tired of being kind to everyone else and they don’t even do anything in return. A thank you would have sufficed, but no, they just got to be selfish. Did they even think that you need some time for yourself, too?

“Hey, Y/N,” you heard behind you, but you only lowered your head. Please, can someone just ignore you? You’re on the verge of letting your tears go and someone is still wanting to talk to you. You heard the person’s footsteps get nearer and nearer until you felt a hand on your shoulder. You closed your eyes, wiping the tears off. But the tears didn’t stop, it just continued to fall. “Y/N?”

Soon, you felt the hand turning you around and you looked away in hopes that they would not notice your tears. They grabbed you by your cheeks and softly, they turned your head towards them. Minho. “What happened?” He softly asks and you shook your head, your eyes avoiding his. Minho only pulled you in a hug and you wrapped your arms around his waist, crying your frustrations out. After a few minutes, you pulled away.

“Can you keep me company?” You ask him softly, almost mumbling and Minho does nothing but nod. You felt Minho gently dragging you somewhere, holding your hand tightly but still, you could feel the gentleness that he holds. Soon, you see that Minho has brought you to the rooftop. Minho places you in front of him and he could only watch you as you softly sob, wiping your tears with the back of your hands like a little girl.

Minho pulls your hands off your face and the tears still kept on streaming. You looked up at Minho with your red puffy eyes and he only sighs, feeling his heart shake as if it was going to shatter anytime soon at the sight. Minho wraps your arms around his waist and you comply, holding onto him as if your life depended on it—as if Minho was the only one who can hold you into pieces as you break. And at the looks of it, Minho really is the only one who can save you.

Minho cups your cheeks gently, thumbs wiping your cheeks but the tears still continued on streaming down your face. The sun was setting, the orange glow hit your face. You were so beautiful in Minho’s eyes even if you’re so broken as of now. Minho chuckles shakily, feeling his heart grow heavier as time pass by. “Hey,” he mumbles as he wipes your tears off. “Stop crying now, you look so ugly, I don’t even know who you are anymore.” Minho teases lightly, trying to lighten up the mood but you don’t stop. You only closed your eyes, shaking your head as a way to get your tears to stop. Then, you softly chuckle through the tears, lips pressing into a think line as you breathe in shakily.

Minho tilts your head, eyes closing as he places a soft delicate kiss on your eyelid. He doesn’t pull away, staying at that position for as long he feels he needs to. It was just a soft kiss, but it meant everything to you. It was Minho’s way of silently saying that he will always be with you, through your sunny, cloudy and stormy days. Always.

five. – kiss on the forehead

“Minho!” You excitedly call as you see him ahead of the hallway. The said boy turns to you, a smile coming up to his face as he sees you. You run to him, tackling him in a hug. Minho stumbles a bit backwards, but he still wraps his arms around your waist.

“Y/N, we’ve seen each other an hour ago. Did you really miss me that much?” Minho says in a teasing manner and you lightly slap his chest. You pull away, holding him at arm length.

“Minho.” You say with so much enthusiast making Minho’s heart skip a beat at how cute you are.

“Y/N.” Minho mimics and you giggle.

“Guess what?” You asked and Minho looks up, an eyebrow raised with a small smile on his lips as if he was thinking.

“Um, you’re exempted for exams?” Minho asks and you scoffed, but the smile never left your lips.

“I wish!” You said and shook you head. "I got offered for an internship for a month to work in their studio.” You said excitingly and Minho’s eyes widen. Then, slowly, a smile comes up in Minho’s face.

“Really?” Minho asks and you nod. “Where?”

“JYPE.” You said and Minho lets out a breathy laugh, grabbing your arms as he pulled you in his chest. He hugs you tightly to the point you couldn’t even hug back anymore. “Minho.. can’t.. breathe.” Minho pulls away, cupping your cheeks as he smiles widely.

“See, I told you! Something great was along the way.” Minho says and you smile, wrapping your arms around his waist. You sigh jokingly, followed by rolling your eyes.

“Okay, fine. You’re always right.” You said and Minho giggles, tilting your head lightly to kiss your forehead. A short kiss, but it felt like it was everything. Minho was the first to know, you just have this inkling feeling that Minho should be the first to know since he was always there for you. Minho suddenly turned from being the guy you’re embarrassed to face to the one you trusted the most. “Thank you for always being there, Min.”

“Always.”

six. – kiss on the temple

You frown as you seated yourself on the usual table you and Minho would sit. You’re stubborn, everyone knows that. But you may kind of know and finally admitted to yourself that the fight between you and Minho had was actually your fault. Okay, but in your defense you were shit tired, stressed and close to having a breakdown… which is why Minho gently asked you to take a break and rest for a bit, which caused you to pick a fight with him and shout at him for being annoying when he was just being nice enough to look after you.

You sighed, placing your hands on your hair as you ruffled your hair. You look at the table, pouting as you finally admitted that it’s your fault and maybe you should reach out first… not the other way around. You were stubborn.

But what you didn’t know was Minho was trying to reach out as well, but he kept convincing himself that it was your fault and you should be first. But then again, it was not you, it was the stress and sleep deprivation that yelled at him. But no, you should be the first.

You stood up from your seat, going to the locker hall, knowing Minho was there at this time to fix his things to get ready for his next lesson. When you arrived, you immediately spotted Minho’s head and walked your way to him. But you were quickly pulled back when you reached midway. You looked at the culprit who pulled you to see the guy in your batch, Myung. You sighed heavily, “What, Myung? I have to go.” You gritted, letting him know that you were annoyed as of the very moment, but he only smirked. He was honestly a jerk; he once confessed to you that he likes you by telling you to be his girlfriend, but of course, you don’t accept. He thought he was being cool, but no, never.

“We never talk anymore, darling.” He said with a cocky smile.

“I’m busy.” You said as you tried to pull away, but his grip tightened. “Myung, what the hell?” You said as you tried to pull away. You always knew how to stand up for yourself and this is not going to be an exception.

“Come on, Y/N. One date.” He says and you glare at him, eyes full of hatred for him.

“No.” You firmly said.

“Come on, just one date. That’s all I ask for.”

“Ask?” You scoffed. “More like force.”

“You don’t want—“

“She said no, didn’t she?” Minho’s voice boomed through the hall and it was when you realized everyone’s eyes were on you and Myung. Minho came forward, grabbing Myung’s wrist to pull his grip off of you, swatting it away. Minho grabbed your wrist, pulling you behind him. Minho’s thumb massaged your wrist as he glared at Myung. Minho’s touch was the opposite of Myung. Minho was much gentle like I always say. Even when he clutches his hand into yours, there’s still a drop of gentleness that let’s you know the person who’s holding you is Lee Minho.

“Why do you care? It’s not like she’s your girlfriend.” Myung spatted.

“And that’s none of your business. Learn how to respect women, you sick bastard.” Minho spats and your free hand shoots out to grab his other hand, signaling him to calm down. You felt it, Minho is about to jump and throw a fist, but when he felt you hold him, he visibly relaxes, calming his nerves down for you. “Never come near her.”

Minho leaves, pulling you with him as he brought you far from there, to a corner where not everyone could see. Minho frowns, anger fading as he looked at you. What would he do if he wasn’t there? Big luck, he was. “Are you okay? Did he do anything? Did he hurt you?” Minho asks and you shook your head, pulling him in an embrace, arms around his shoulders. Minho sighs, wrapping his own arms around your waist.

“I’m sorry.” You said. “I shouldn’t have shouted at you and be a bitch. It will never happen again, I promise.”

Minho tightens his hold on you, letting you know that he has forgiven you. He turns his head to the side, lips reaching for your temple as he kisses you. “It’s okay.” Minho mumbles, pulling away as his hands place themselves on your shoulders, holding you at arm-length. “You sure he didn’t do anything?”

“I promise, Minho.” You said. “Besides, he knows better than have the whole university watch him be the sick bastard that he is.” Minho sighs, nodding as he places a kiss on your temple once again. “I missed you.”

You did. You really did. Minho was the only one who could get you through your darkest days. He promised you, even on the sunny days. But it was proven that your true darkest days were the days that Minho isn’t beside you. And you’re never gonna let that happen again even if it was just a fight.

“I missed you, too.” Minho breathed, embracing you as he attaches his lips against your temple.

seven. – random kisses out of nowhere

“Y/N? I’m outside of the room, come out.” Jisung says the moment you picked the call up. You were feeling really happy about this particular day. So, with a big smile on your face you walked to the window of the room, sliding it open and popping your head out, not following Jisung’s instruction. You looked at the side to see Jisung with Hyunjin, in front of the classroom next to yours. Wow. In front of your room, huh. But you didn’t roll your eyes as you feel really giddy about today. Jisung and Hyunjin see you and you waved at them enthusiastically, your phone still pressed against your ear. Then, a figure on your peripheral vision catches your attention. He always caught your attention.

Not waiting for Jisung and Hyunjin to wave back, you turned to the boy that caught your attention and smiled at him widely as he comes nearer and nearer.

“Hi!” You enthusiastically say and Minho giggles. Minho was walking with Chan to wherever. Minho smiles, coming towards you as he places a kiss on your nose. You scrunched your nose and Minho chuckles.

“I’ll see you at lunch, text me.” Minho says as he continues walking and you nod. You watch Minho’s back as he and Chan reaches the end, turning a corner to go downstairs. Fuck, you’re falling deeper and deeper for him everyday. You just hope the kisses he gives mean something just as much as they mean to you.

“Someone’s in love.” Jisung says in a sing-song matter and you realized you stil have your phone pressed against your ear. “I’ll see you at lunch, text me. Are you two dating already?” Hyunjin’s voice come in and you sigh, turning your gaze to them.

“Fuck you both.” You pouted and they laugh. You hang up the calling, going out of the room to go to your friends.

Everyone could see how hung up you are, Y/N.

You held your hand on the open, feeling the raindrops hit your palm. You look up at the sky, pouting. Out of all the time it could rain, why did it have to be right now when you don’t have your umbrella with you? You just wanted to have your carton of banana milk since you were craving for it. You held the banana milk with both hands, tucking it under chin as you watched the rain fall, waiting for it to stop. It was nearing midterms; you can’t afford to be sick.

All hope came back when you saw Minho across the road, in the building of your dorm as he opens an umbrella. He comes out in the open, an umbrella protecting him from the rain as he made his way to you. When he reaches you, you look at him and he stares back at you until he breaks into a fit of giggles. “You’re so lucky I saw you from there.” Minho said, pointing at the second floor of the building. “You should’ve texted me or something.”

“I didn’t bring my phone.” You said and Minho chuckles. “Plus, you didn’t have to.”

“You really think I would let you just watch the sky, wait for the rain to stop?” Minho asks. “You look like you were glaring at the sky, telling the rain to stop.” You look so fucking cute. Minho wanted to add, but decided against it.

You huffed and Minho giggles, leaning forward to kiss the side of your head. “Come on.” Minho says as he wraps an arm around you, holding the umbrella in between the two of you. By instinct, you wrap one arm behind his waist.

Wrong. He shouldn’t have wrapped an arm around you, he should’ve just transferred the umbrella to the other hand. Due to this position, Minho wants to just kiss your head and never pull away. You don’t feel his heartbeat, do you?

When you both reached the building, you pulled away from Minho and faced him as he closes the umbrella after shaking some raindrops off of it. “Thanks, Minho.” You said with a pout, handing your banana milk out. “Here, have it.”

Minho chuckles, pushing it back to you. “It’s fine, Y/N. You’d the same for me, anyway.” Minho says and you nod, leaning forward to kiss his cheek. You pull away, a big grin on your face.

“You know I would.”

eight. – kiss on the knuckles

Minho had a showcase and of course, you were there to watch to support him. You expected him to be the best as always. You expected him to give out his all. What you didn’t expect was for Minho to fall on the ground in the middle of his number. You were quick on your feet, the curtains closed and you immediately ran to the stage. Turns out, he was too exhausted from rehearsals. It’s been a week since it happened and some people just can’t let go of what happened. But Minho ignored them but you never knew about it.

You were in your locker getting the things that are needed when you hear a girl beside your locker. “Yeah?” She said with an annoying giggle. “I heard that Lee Minho guy purposely fell on stage to get attention, so everyone would pity him. Apparently, he works hard enough like up until midnight yet he never gets the recognition he ‘deserves’.”

You slam your locker door harshly and you saw the girl flinch in your peripheral vision. You turned to her, shoulder leaning against your locker and smile at her with fakeness. “What an interesting theory,” You said. “But I’m sorry to tell you that Minho would never do something like that for what is so called attention. You don’t know Minho so I suggest you stop the bullshit that you’re spreading about him before you regret it.”

She scoffs. “What are you, Y/N? Minho’s little friend? Minho’s just using you for attention. You have connections, after all.” She says.

“He’s not the type to use someone for his own interest.” You said. “Don’t judge the person because you are nowhere near as good as he is.”

“How sure are you?” She says, her eyebrows raised.

You simply stood straightly, crossing your arms across your chest. “Simple, he’s not you.” You say and the girl slaps you across the face. Let’s just say you had a pretty intense fight leaving you with a scratch on your arm because of her long sharp nails, a bruise on the side of your stomach and pretty much bruised knuckles. Her state was way worse than yours.

You were in your locker, fixing your things gently as your hand hurts. You were putting things inside your bag when someone grabbed your arm and turns you around. You hiss, the pain stinging as the person grab you where the girl scratched you. “Shit, that hurts.” You say and the hand pulls back. You look up, seeing Minho with a worried expression. He looks at you then to the arm where he grabbed you. He grabs your bag from you, putting it on the ground and pulling your denim jacket off. He sees the large 3 lines of scratches. You covered it up, pulling your jacket back and turning around to your locker.

“What the hell got into you, Y/N? You were never the type to hurt someone.” Minho asks and you shrugged.

“She hit me first, I just gave her what she wanted.” You dryly said and you heard Minho sigh.

Minho’s shoulder slumped and grabbed you gently on your uninjured arm. He turns you around and you avoid his eyes. “What did truly happen, Y/N?” Minho asks. “All I know is you got into a fist fight and since you’re not the type to hurt someone, you must have a reason.” Minho says and you still avoided his eyes, looking at the ground.

“That’s it. She hit me first and I just gave her what she wanted.” You repeated and Minho sighs, taking your hands but you pulled the other that hurts. Minho sighs, looking at it. He grabs your bag, closing your locker and gently pulling you with him. “Come on, let’s go to your dorm.”

On the way to your dorm, you were silent the whole time, Minho worrying. When you both arrived at your dorm, you immediately went to your bed while Minho went to where you keep your first aid kit. Minho lightly tugged on your jacket and you removed it, letting him mend the scratch on your arm. “Still waiting for the real reason,” Minho says as he puts some ointment on your scratch. When he’s done, he takes your bruised knuckles and cleans them. “Come on, Y/N. Why did you? You know you can trust me.” Minho says and you still ignored him. Minho sighs, wrapping your hand with a bandage. “Other injuries?” Minho asks.

“I’ll clean it.” You mumble, taking the cloth from Minho’s hand, but he pulls away.

“Not until you say why you did it.” Minho says and you sigh, standing up. You kept silent, trying to take the cloth from him but he wouldn’t budge. “Come on, Y/N, just tell me why.” Minho says and wraps his arms around your waist. You hiss, unwrapping Minho’s arms from you. Minho frowns, lifting your shirt up lightly to show the bruise. He cleans it and your one hand finds its way on Minho’s hair, brushing it up. Then trails down to his cheek. Minho snuggles his face with your hand and you looked at him with pure sadness. “Come on, Y/N, why?” How could someone think so lowly of him? All he ever did was try to make everyone happy around him.

“I don’t wanna talk about it, Minho.” You mumble as you pull away and go around your dorm, looking for things to find. You settled on your small bookshelf, pretending to look for a book.

“Lies. You just don’t want me to know why it happened.” Minho said and he stands up to walk over to you. “C’mon, Y/N, why?” Minho says as he stays behind you. “What happened? I refuse to believe that you violently ruined her face just because she hit you first.” Minho says and you sigh. “I’m going to bother you all day, Y/N. You know how I am.”

“Fine! She was talking shit about you and I confronted her about it, saying something stupid and then she slapped me then I beat the hell out of her.” You say as you turned to Minho. “Happy now that you know?”

Minho’s face fell and you sigh. “What did she say? What exactly happened?” Minho asks.

“I was fixing my locker and our lockers were right beside each other’s. I heard her talking shit about you—“

“What exactly is the shit?” Minho cuts you off.

You bit your lip and sigh. “You purposely fell on stage to let everyone know how hardworking you are but never got the recognition you deserve.” You said and Minho looks down. “I told her that you’re not that kind of person, she said that you’re just using me because I have connections and then I said you’re not and when she asked how sure am I, I said because you’re not her.” Minho’s gaze went to you and you sighed. “I’m sorry, I went all over the place when she said that.”

“But it isn’t really true, right?” Minho says. “People only get mad when they are being confronted of what is true and they don’t really like admitting it.”

“Minho,” you say. “I can’t handle it when someone talks shit about you. You don’t deserve it, they’re just jealous of you.”

Minho gently grabs your hands and smiles at you. “Thank you, Y/N. But getting into trouble wasn’t really necessary.” He says and you nod. “Next time, okay? Ignore them, their ugly faces don’t deserve your pretty knuckles.”

You laugh and Minho lifts the injured fist, bringing it up to his lips to press a kiss to it.

nine. – confession kiss

“Why are we here?” You softly asked as Minho brought you at the rooftop—where Minho had silently promised you that he will always be there for you. Minho only smiled at you, but you could see the nervousness in him. Then, you suddenly chuckled. “Did you know the first time I went here was when you brought me here?”

Minho’s head was quick to snap towards your way as if sirens grew in his head. “Really?” He asks and you nod. You look down, palms on your jeans wiping the non-existent sweat against the denim cloth. You just suddenly felt nervous. Why did Minho even bring you here?

“So, why did you bring me here?” You asked, looking up at Minho who was staring at you with such admiration in his eyes. And that was honestly your favorite part in him; his eyes. The galaxies in his eyes that you always wanted to get lost in—that you’re willing to get lost in. You just want to dive into full of Lee Minho, honestly. Everyone could notice that everytime he would look at you his eyes would shine a little bit more than they usually do. But you don’t know that.

And maybe, it’s time for Minho to let you know that.

“This could be really cheesy and corny,” Minho says and you raise an eyebrow at him. “Remember when we bump into each other and we accidentally kissed?”

You laughed. Minho’s heart flipped.

You covered your mouth with a hand as you remembered how it exactly happened. This was the first time it was brought up. For being friends for almost a year and you two never talked about it. “Of course! I couldn’t face you until Mrs. Kim partnered us up.” You said and Minho could see how your eyes lit up almost brighter than the sun. Minho giggled himself, easing his nerves lightly. “But anyway, go on.”

Minho smiled as you urged him, taking your hands in his. “We’ll be friends no matter what, right?” Minho asks, worry dawning his face as scenarios of you rejecting him flashed in his mind. Minho shook your hands lightly as a way to cover up his worried state. If only Minho knew how hung up you are to him.

You frowned. “Minho, we’re best friends, I could never leave you. I can’t even function properly without you even if for just a moment.” You said as you squeezed his hands to ease him. Minho’s eyes trail down on your hands and he breathes in.

“Promise?” Minho asks and you nod.

“Promise.” You said. “Come on, this us. What wrong could happen?”

Minho nods, looking into your eyes and you smile at him. “This could be very sudden to you,” Minho starts and you listen intently as he starts. You could literally see how nervous he was, so you squeezed his hands to encourage him. “Um, I like you, Y/N.”

You felt heart skip a beat. Minho? He likes you? The guy you accidentally kissed almost a year ago.

You felt Minho’s grip tighten, but still, ever gently. “I’m not pressuring you into liking me, I just.. want you to know that I like you a lot, but if you give me a shot, it would be very nice—you won’t regret it, I promise. But again, I’m not pressuring you.” Minho blurted out.

The speech that Minho prepared for a week, it was now forgotten. All he wants to do is for you to know how much he likes you. And he likes you a lot. He’s been kissing you for almost a whole year, but he wants to do it because you’re dating—not simply because he’s friends with you, because honestly, friends don’t do that. Whenever you kiss your other friends, like take Hyunjin as an example, you only bump cheeks with him, but with Minho? It feels natural kissing him. What more if you can kiss him on the lips once again, but this time not accidentally.

“Y/N?” Minho snaps you out of your thoughts as he called you. He was nervous, very nervous and you could see it right through him.

“Y-You do?” You stutter.

“Did I make you uncomfortable?” Minho asks, chewing on his lower lip as he looks at you.

“No,” you said, then you smiled. “Because it would be a real shame if this is just a prank considering I like you, too.”

Minho’s jaw drops and you giggle at his reaction. “W-What?” Minho says with a wide smile, a chuckle escaping his lips. Minho felt as if he’s in cloud 9, he felt so happy. You like him, too! It was as if he hit jackpot. “You like me, too.” Minho breathed out and you laughed, pulling your hands off and wrapping your arms around his torso.

“I do, Minho. Like, a whole lot.” You said as you rested your nose on his shoulder. Minho smiles widely, cheeks hurting but he could care less, you like him. Minho wraps his arms around you, his jaw resting on the side of your head. “I thought I was being obvious! I like you way before our encounter.”

“Oh?” Minho lightly pulls away, smirking at you as he teases you. Minho giggled, kissing your forehead. Then, he moves his hands, cupping your cheeks as he looks down at you. Minho’s gaze was on your eyes, momentarily looking on your lips. And so were your eyes, it kept trailing back on his lips, remembering how soft it was when you accidentally did. Minho could probably feel how excited you are to finally feels those soft gentle lips against yours.

Simply because it was what he was thinking of, as well.

“Can I kiss you?” Minho asks you and you nod, looking into his eyes, feeling yourself get lost into those galaxies that he has like you always would. Minho leans closer, eyes trailing back and forth into your eyes and lips. You close your eyes, Minho sighing as he took in your beauty.

But Lee Minho is a big tease.

When his breath finally mingled with yours, Minho smiled, kissing the corner of your mouth. He pulls away, hands sliding down to your arms as you opened your eyes. “What?” You asked, pouting.

“I never said I’ll kiss you on the lips.” Minho says and your jaw drops. Unbelievable. But still, you found yourself laughing. Minho kisses your nose. “Let’s go on a date.”

“You’re such a big tease, Lee Minho!”

“Honey, am I even Lee Minho if I wasn’t a big tease?”

“You looked like you were gonna shit your pants when you were confessing to me, Lee Minho.”

“It just means that Lee Minho is so whipped for you, Y/L/N Y/N.”

ten. – “i love you.”

Minho knocks on your door on a Saturday morning. He was still in his pajamas, but he wanted to spend as much time with you since you’re both seniors in college already, meaning more work has been loaded. This is honestly the first time Minho will be seeing you in this week. Minho hasn’t even had a bath yet, he only brushed his teeth and get his wallet, keys and phone and now, he’s here. Minho figured you were still sleeping so he fumbled with his keys, looking for yours since you both exchanged spare keys of your dorms (Luckily, you two didn’t have a roommate, why not just move together?). He slides the key into the hole of the doorknob, unlocking it as he pushed the door open. He closed the door behind him when he stepped inside and a big smile graces his lips as he sees you in the bathroom, brushing your teeth with your eyes closed. You were drawing circles around your teeth with your toothbrush in a very slow motion. Your hair pulled up in a messy bun, still in your pajamas just like Minho and in his big white shirt.

Minho makes his way to you, wrapping his arms around your waist and you jump lightly, opening your eyes. Minho rests his chin on your shoulder as he looks at the two of you through the mirror in front of you. You leant your head against his, free hand running back and forth on his forearm. Minho smiles, kissing your cheek and you giggle, patting Minho’s cheek with your hand. You really are such a perfect fit for each other. You finished brushing your teeth, cleaning your mouth and brush. You put it away neatly and turned around to face Minho with a wide smile, but Minho could see that you’re still sleepy. It made you a lot cuter in his opinion.

“Minho,” you softly said and he hums with a smile. “I just brushed my teeth, can I get the kiss now?” Minho laughs and you pouted, but a giggle escapes your lips as you looked at how happy Minho is. You were delighted to know that you’re the one who makes Minho happy.

“Fine.” Minho says and your eyes light up. Is this it? You’re finally getting the kiss on the lips?

You were excited, but you were proven wrong when Minho leans in to kiss the same spot he kissed 3 months ago when he confessed to you. Everyday you would try to pry Minho in giving you a kiss on your lips, but he would always just kiss the corner of your mouth, saying that he wants your actual first kiss together to be really meaningful. But when?

“Just the teaser, though.” Minho says with a wink and you pouted, whining. Minho kisses your nose, smiling as he grabs your hand to pull you out of the bathroom. “C’mon, let’s go have coffee.” You smiled as he pulls you with him. You’ve never felt so happy in your life. Your chest was so full of Minho that you feel like you’re going to burst any minute now. You know it in yourself, this is getting deeper and deeper, but you’re willing to fall deeper into Lee Minho. After all, he’s all you wanted from the very start.

Minho started to make your coffee, knowing you’re still sleepy to do that. You were just so thankful Minho is there. It’s been a year and not once did Minho break his promise on being there by your side at your happiest, neutral and saddest days, even when fights occur, he’s still there. You sigh, wrapping your arms around his waist, head resting on his back. You feel Minho give your hand a pat or two. “Still sleepy, bub?” Minho asks and you nodded. You tiptoed, placing a kiss on Minho’s shoulder. Even if Minho was small, he still managed to be a lot taller than you are. Minho turns around, wrapping his arms around your waist as he lifted you. You wrap your arms around his shoulders before wrapping your legs around his waist. Minho carried you like a teddy bear and went over to your bed, laying down with you above him. You giggle and Minho smiles, arms tightening around you as if he was scared that you’re going to leave him. I doubt you would. “We’re tired college kids,” Minho mumbles. “Let’s sleep some more.”

You hid your face in Minho’s neck, closing your eyes. You peck his neck the same time you felt a peck on your ear. You sigh in content, snuggling further into Minho as you were impossibly closer with Minho than before. Sleeps with Minho is the safest you feel. Actually, being around Minho is the safest that you feel. Minho’s presence would always be enough for you. You were just so happy with Minho. All the stress, the tiredness? Just a Minho in front of you and you’re okay.

Clock strikes 1 and you flutter your eyes open, feeling satisfied on your sleep. Minho’s hand plays with your hair as the other was on your arm, rubbing it in a soothing manner. You sighed, kissing his jaw as lifted yourself off of him and sitting up. Minho whines, latching hand around your wrist to pull you back. “We have to have lunch, baby.” You said with a smile.

“I already ordered takeout, it’s gonna be here in 15 minutes.” Minho says with a smile. Sigh, seriously, what were you gonna do without Minho?

And just like Minho said, the takeout arrived after 15 minutes and you both ate while talking about what’s currently happening in college. Everytime Minho laughs, you would feel a tug on your heartstrings. You can never get enough of Lee Minho.

After eating, you both disposed your trash and cleaned up a bit. 3 pm and you both settled in your bed again, putting your laptop in front of the two of you as you play a random movie. You both sat on your bed, legs tangled together with your arms wrapped around his waist. His one arm behind your shoulders, hand playing with your hair and the other on your forearm, running back and forth, backs leant against your bedhead.

You tugged on his shirt, a smile coming up to your face. Minho looks down to you as he continued playing with your hair. “Remember how you got your book back from Hyunjin? The same day we were embarrassingly partnered up for Romeo and Juliet? Hyunjin was so confused—“

A smile comes up in Minho’s face, how far have you both come? From accidentally kissing each other to a project that requires a kiss on the hand to random kisses that eventually built up the relationship between the two of you. Minho was happy. It was kind of messy, but hey, it’s you and him. Who would’ve thought from not having any chance to talk to each other led to something that Minho has grown attached to? Certainly not Minho.

Minho could still remember how fast his heart kept on beating when he kissed your palm in Mrs. Kim’s class. He could still remember how he realized he likes you. He could still remember how happy he was when you told him you like him back. He still remembers everything. How could he not when his heart feels so heavy but light at the same time with so much love for you? He wanted to be the one to make you happy just like the way that you make him happy.

“And then Jisung suddenly kept asking me why—“

“I love you, Y/N.” Minho blurts out. His eyes don’t go wide; he doesn’t get surprised at how he suddenly blurted it out. He knew he was going to confess to you once more and it seems like it’s right now. He doesn’t even have the slightest nerve that tugs on his stomach that makes him worried that you would reject him.

You cut your story off, looking at Minho. There it was again, the galaxies in eyes. But this time, it shone brighter than they usually would. Minho looks at you with pure admiration and you realized how you both maintained such a happy and healthy relationship. You love Minho just as much as he loves you and you both never failed to show that to each other.

No words, just action for a response.

You pressed your lips against his, closing your eyes and Minho immediately responds into the kiss, not wasting anymore time as he pulls you impossibly closer. Now, you understood when Minho said he was looking for the right timing, wanting your first real kiss to be as meaningful as it is. And this was just perfect.

“I love you, too.”

the power of: going through it. rawr see you in my next fic, i hope you like it! uwu