conflict, conceal, confess | minho
kinktober day 31: thigh-riding
pairing: lee minho x reader
word count: 18.1k (đ)
genre: college au, enemies to lovers, (modern!consort au)
warnings: sexual content (thigh-riding, oral sex, fingering, handjob, marking, a whole lot of smut honestly, like 6k words of it), swearing, an ungodly amount of academia
summary:
âWhy donât we call a truce?â
Minho blinked, caught off-guard. âTruce?â
âYeah. No more argumentsâŠâ you trailed off, the words already sounding hollow and you were the one saying them. âOK, maybe some academic debate. But nothing personal.â
âNothing petty,â Minho added, giving you a pointed look.
It took an impressive amount of willpower to force your smile to stay on your face. âExactly. We somehow managed it as kids. How hard could it be to do it again?â
âYour brother is such an asshole.â
You wondered how many of your conversations with Felix had started with those exact words. In the years since childhood, there had probably been countless variations of this very situation: you collapsing into a seat near Felix, ready to unleash after biting your tongue for however many hours beforehand.
His reaction was second nature at this point. Without even glancing towards you, Felix paused in the middle of rolling out what looked to be shortbread dough and turned to switch on the coffeemaker. âWhat is it this time?â
âDo you remember how many new people signed up to debate at the start of the year? Had to be at least twenty, right? Maybe thirty?â
âAt least thirty,â Felix confirmed. âI gave out blondies to every person that signed up. The entire pan was gone in like an hour.â
Yes, you remembered that day. Specifically, you remembered Felix holding up the empty pan with a big smile on his face and proudly declaring how many people had shown interest in joining. And youâd had to figure out how to politely break it to him that the hordes of first-year students walking back and forth in front of his table were eyeing a little more than just his baked goods.
Sweet boy. Sweet, innocent, oblivious boy.
âGuess how many are left,â you challenged him, eager to prove a point.
Felix frowned, thinking it over. âThere were still about fifteen when I was last there. So, ten?â
âSix,â you exclaimed, balling your hand into a fist and planting it onto the tabletop for dramatic effect. âAnd Minho made one of them cry today.â
In just a few years, you and Minho had transformed your universityâs debate team into one of the most successful in the country. Youâd won awards, youâd attended international competitions, youâd gained notice from several notable figures in academia. Membership of the debate team had gone from a minor footnote youâd discard in an application to a badge of prestige, of recognised talent.
Minhoâs standards were high, shockingly so, but he got results. As a second-in-command in all but name, it was usually up to you to run damage control, to nudge members towards persevering instead of walking out the door. The good cop to his bad cop, the carrot to his stick. Youâd be tempted to call it exhausting, were it not for the undeniable rush of satisfaction whenever you succeeded in building up a member where Minho failed.
Lately, however, your efforts were starting to fall short. In just eight weeks, over twenty recruits had quit before team selections had even finished.
âOh, jeez,â Felix muttered. Before he could say anything more, the coffeemaker chirped behind him, and he wasted no time pouring you the biggest cup he had lying around.
You motioned it over with greedy little grabby-hands, accepting it with a smile.
Felix returned to his shortbread dough and picked up a star-shaped cookie cutter. âWhy did they cry?â
You made a vaguely displeased noise through a mouthful of coffee, only managing to word a response when you set the mug down. âI donât even know. This weekâs debate was on the ethics of nuclear power, and I could tell she took pretty much all her talking points from Wikipedia. I assume it was about that. Minho probably got all Minho about it and tore her to shreds.â
Felix paused. You wondered if it was just because he was concentrating on his cookies, until you realised he was hesitating. ââŠI donât know. I know Minho takes this stuff seriously, but heâs not the kind of guy to make some poor kid cry over debating.â
âWhy not?â You asked, and you canât stop the bitterness creeping out into your voice. âItâs nothing he hasnât done before.â
âOhâŠâ Felix said, eyes widening in realisation. He lifted his head up to look at you, sympathetic. âShit, yeah. Iâm sorry.â
For the most part, youâd gotten over your experience in high school debate club, but the memories still stung a little.
Youâd been so eager, signing up the very second you were eligible, talking Felixâs ear off about how excited you were, how much you were looking forward to it. Youâd known that Felixâs older brother - a year ahead of you - was somewhat of a big deal in the club, and youâd maybe imagined him taking you under his wing. Looking out for you, encouraging you with gentle feedback and a warm smile.
Youâd gone into your first debate, attempted to expand upon the few points youâd known about the topic, and shyly waited for Minhoâs counterarguments.
He had stepped up to the microphone, levelled you with a blank stare, and eviscerated every single argument youâd made. Pointed out every logical fallacy, every gap in your research, every misspoken or poorly worded statement, everything. Heâd cut you right to the bone, with zero mercy.
You spent the rest of the club meeting holding back tears, ran all the way to Felixâs house as soon as it was over, sobbing your eyes out â and actually, maybe that was the first of many âyour brother is an assholeâ exchanges.
Huh. Funny how things come full circle like that.
When Minho returned home about a half-hour after you, youâd stormed into his room and demanded to know why he would treat you so badly. Did he want to drive you away from the club? Did he secretly hate you this whole time?
Youâd never forget his response. The shrug he gave you, the arch of one eyebrow as he took in the sight of you, burning with rage, fists clenched by your side. The fucking sigh.
I just thought youâd do better than that.
What a fucking thing to say to a fourteen-year-old. Especially one that looked up to him the way you did.
And, deep-down, there was a certain sting that accompanied his words. Something you could never bring yourself to admit out loud, not even to Felix. An extra flash of pain, because back then youâdâŠ
Whatever. It was ancient history.
You had almost quit on the spot. Instead, you dove headfirst into researching the next weekâs topic, determined to beat him, paranoid about every little mistake he might pick at.
And thatâŠ
Well, that was your life for the next nine years. Even that one blissful year when Minho had graduated, the year youâd taken over as head of debate club, the year youâd gotten your team all the way to nationals - he still didnât leave you in peace.
Heâd turned up to that final competition, gaze intense, face neutral. Youâd spotted him in the audience, unable to tear your eyes away, watching every little twitch of his jaw, every tiny shift in expression, and knew he was picking apart your arguments. Waiting for you to trip up and fail in front of everyone.
It felt like a glorious âfuck youâ when your team won that year. Youâd held that trophy, looked right into Minhoâs eyes, and wanted to scream âI fucking told you soâ right in his smug face.
Ugh. Asshole.
âItâs all in the past,â you said, forcing yourself to shrug it off.
Taking another swig of coffee, you reached over and poked Felixâs shoulder, grinning.
âAnd besidesâŠMinho isnât the one coming with me to the U.N. next month.â
âNext month,â Felix repeated, slightly in awe, matching your excitement and then some. âHoly shit, itâs so soon.â
It was. In just a few weeksâ time, youâd be standing in front of a U.N. committee giving a speech on commitment to environmental preservation with your best friend by your side. Youâd worked for this for months, years even. And youâd be doing it together.
âIâm afraid I have bad news about the U.N. speech.â
You sat there, horrified, as your supervisor â Dr. Koning â shuffled the papers on his desk with a grave expression. âWhat? What happened? Donât tell me itâs cancelled.â
âItâs not cancelled,â Dr. Koning said, before pausing. ââŠBut it has been postponed. Certain recent global events have pushed it further down the agenda. The speech will happen next January.â
âJanuary?â You repeated, and horror quickly dawned on you. âNo, wait. Felix canât do January. Heâs studying abroad next semester. There has to be some otherâŠâ
âIâm afraid thereâs not. Iâve tried to speak to the few contacts I have, but changing the agenda of the United Nations isâŠwell, a little beyond our capabilities, Iâm sure you can understand.â
âBut this is just as much Felixâs speech as it is mine. Itâs on environmental preservation, heâs the one thatâs specialising in environmentalism, he canât just get dropped likeâŠwhat if he flew back for the U.N. speech? Thatâs doable, right?â
âEven if he could, he would still be missing the weeks of preparation leading up to the speech,â Dr. Koning reminded you, sounding genuinely apologetic. âUnless he withdraws from his study-abroad program, Iâm afraid we have to give his spot to someone else.â
You felt like youâd just been punched, right in the gut. Felix couldnât withdraw from the program. It was one of the main reasons heâd chosen this university in the first place. Heâd spent months competing for the limited spaces at the best partner university, heâd e-mailed the faculty there ahead of time to begin networking, heâd based his entire career path on the connections he could make there.
Even the fucking United Nations wasnât worth the damage his future plans would take if he dropped out of studying abroad.
ââŠWhoâs taking his spot?â You asked, quiet, defeated.
Dr. Koning looked down at the papers, and adjusted his glasses. âWell, there are a few candidates in mind. But at such short notice, thereâs really only one feasible choice. One of my colleagueâs PhD students, you might know him. Lee Minho?â
âŠNo.
No.
Absolutely fucking not.
You choked on the sudden anger bursting from your chest, trying your best to push it down before you started cussing out Lee Minho right in front of your professor. Finally, you were able to respond through gritted teeth. âYes, I know him. We donâtâŠreally get on.â
Dr. Koning frowned, pushing his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose. âIâm sorry to hear that. Are there any incidents I should be aware of?â
âNo, nothing like that,â you said. âJustâŠitâs been a thing since we were kids. We donât like each other.â
âWell, we can look for othersâŠâ he said, before trailing off. Frowning, he leaned forward slightly, granting himself an air of conspiracy, like he was letting you in on a secret. âBut, honestlyâŠif this is something you feel comfortable setting aside, just temporarily, you should know that Minho really is the best candidate. By quite a wide margin.â
Of fucking course he was.
You let out a deep breath, closing your eyes and fighting the urge to start massaging your temples.
ââŠMaybe,â you relented, even if it took every ounce of willpower you had. âIâll talk to him.â
âGood to hear,â Dr. Koning said, smiling. âI really do hope the two of you can work together on this. Both of you have shown astounding potential. I look forward to seeing what you come up with.â
ââŠMm-hm. Me too.â
It was a cold, crisp Monday morning, and you found yourself stood on the steps of the lecture halls. The expression on your face was enough for the dawdling first-years around you to give you a wide berth, allowing you to scroll through your e-mails in peace.
Scroll through your e-mails, and wait.
For him.
Felix had mentioned that Minho was sitting in on a talk from a visiting financial expert on the state of global economics, and you figured now was as good a time as any to confront him about the speech.
âŠAnd by âconfrontâ, you meant âpatiently and politely open channels of communicationâ. Of course.
Fuck, it was freezing.
You shivered, pulling your scarf just a little tighter around your neck, and exited out of your e-mails to shoot a text to Felix.
You
Who in their right mind voluntarily sits in on an economics lecture at eight oâclock on a Monday morning?
Lixie
âŠ
i mean
âŠliterally you last week
You
OK first of all
That was a fucking Guillaume Van Bebber seminar
The man has a Nobel prize
Second of all
That wasnât a Monday
Third
Shut up
Lixie
ok no cookies for you
You
Wait no, what??
I take it back.
Take it all back.
Youâre my bestest friend in the whole world.
Bestest and smartest.
Waittt
You were so distracted texting Felix, you didnât notice the doors to the lecture halls opening, and the slow stream of students beginning to file out.
You did, however, notice a familiar voice.
Your head snapped up to see Minho at the top of the steps, talking with who looked to be the guest lecturer. The two were standing still, rather than walking along with the rest of the students, positioned just out of the way so they could continue whatever conversation they were having without interruption.
Cool, even more waiting.
You shifted your weight, shoving your hands into the pockets of your coat to keep warm, and watched as Minho continued to speak â and, unbelievably, managed to make this lecturer laugh.
You blinked.
What the fuck? Minho didnât make people laugh. He made them miserable, yes, but never laugh.
And then, suddenly, as if he could sense your insults, Minho looked over and locked eyes with you. His eyebrows raised slightly, probably in surprise at seeing you on campus so early in the morning. You made sure to maintain eye contact â an old habit with Minho, by this point. You hated being the first to look away, it always felt like weakness.
He turned away, saying something to the lecturer with a slight incline of his head.
The lecturer blinked, before nodding. You watched as, with a warm smile, the lecturer extended what looked to be a business card to Minho.
Minho accepted it, the two exchanged one final handshake, before Minho turned on his heel and descended the steps.
Towards you.
It was a little unfair, you wanted to grumble, that Minho always looked so put-together, no matter the time of day. He was wearing a black turtleneck sweater, perfectly suited for the chilly October morning air, under a tailored beige overcoat. It looked designer, the plaid pattern on its lining looking vaguely familiar, but that was standard for Minhoâs wardrobe. Youâd known since you were a little kid that Felixâs family had money.
Like, Âfuck-you money.
You forced your eyes up to his face before they travelled any further downwards, but you knew from a glance that Minho was wearing some form of tight black jeans. They were a staple of his wardrobe, and you hated them. You hated any and every reminder of MinhoâsâŠ
Well, Minhoâs fucking tree trunk thighs.
Which you also hated.
With a passion.
He did dance as a kid. And some kind of equestrian thing in his teenage years â because, again, fuck-you money â which all contributed toâŠ
You know what?
Didnât matter.
Because you hated them. They werenât worth mentioning.
âWe need to talk about the U.N. speech,â you said, as soon as he got close enough, cutting straight to the chase.
âOK,â Minho nodded, approaching closer. You paused, confused, as he showed no sign of slowing. He drew closer and closer, and something tightened in your chest, as heâ
He brushed past you, shoulder nearly bumping yours, continuing onwards past you.
You stilled, rooted to the spot for a moment, blinking at the empty air where he had just been standing.
Shock quickly morphed into incredulous anger, and you turned sharply to storm after him, blown away by his rudeness. âHey, where â what the fuck?â
Minho paused, turning to face you, halting so suddenly that you almost bumped right into him. You stumbled back a step or two, before righting yourself, as Minho asked. ââŠWait, did you mean now?â
The way he said it, confused, as if you were the strange one for not specifying the obvious.
âNo, I was thinking in three weeks. But let me just check my calendar first,â you retorted, deadpan. âYes, now. Why else would I be here?â
âFor classes,â Minho pointed out, gesturing to the lecture building heâd just exited.
You opened your mouth instinctively, before pausing.
Because the honest answer, that you were here because youâd been waiting for him, now soundedâŠ
ââŠLook, are you free to talk about the speech or not?â You asked, folding your arms over your chest.
Minho stared at you for a moment, before giving you a shrug. âIâve got about an hour before my next class.â
âGood.â
âI usually get coffee around this time, while itâs quiet.â
ââŠOK? Good for you?â You said, frowning slightly.
Minho kept staring, lookingâŠstrangely expectant.
What, he wanted a pat on the back for having coffee in the morning?
Finally, with a sharp exhale that could almost be mistaken as an exasperated sigh, Minho turned away and set off walking again.
Rude. You were literally just having a conversation? Now, he just expected you to follow him?
Ugh.
Reluctantly, you did just that, having to quicken your pace to match Minhoâs stride with thoseâŠfucking gargantuan legs of his.
Legs that didnât matter. Because you didnât notice them. At all.
To your surprise, Minho didnât head for Muffin House, the main coffee shop on campus. That was your go-to place for caffeine â it was cheap, they had a bunch of muffins in different flavours, and they had an irresponsibly large number of discounts on extra espresso shots for students.
Instead, you had to follow Minho down a little side street nestled between two of the towering science blocks, cut across a near-deserted car park, and finally took a right towards a quiet little pocket of buildings on the edge of campus.
You would have walked right past the coffee shop entirely, were it not for Minho suddenly ducking through the doorway of a non-descript stone building. You paused, and it was only after looking up and studying the front face of the building that you noticed the sign for Kwonâs Koffee.
Inside, it looked indistinguishable from other coffee shops on campus â except it was far less crowded, with only a few tables taken up by exclusively postgraduate students.
This was definitely one of those little insider-knowledge haunts for PhD students, like Minho. And the idea almost made you want to hate it on principle.
You joined the queue behind Minho, gaze wandering toward the board of coffee specials.
âŠFuck, OK, they did look pretty good.
Still, the principle of the matter remained.
âYou realise Muffin House was so much closer, right?â You asked, glancing at Minho.
Minho made a face. âYeah, but their coffee is shitty.â
âNo, itâs not!â
âItâs always bitter.â
âYeah, because itâs made to go with the super-sweet muffins,â you said, slowing your words as if trying to explain the concept of taste to a toddler. âThey balance each other out.â
âWhich means if you donât get muffins, youâre shit out of luck,â Minho pointed out, and glanced over his shoulder at you. âAnd I never get them.â
You stared at him, genuinely affronted by this statement. Yet another thing to add to the colossal-sized list of reasons to dislike Minho. âWhat? Why? How?â
He shrugged. âI donât have much of a sweet tooth.â
âHow are you and Felix even related?â
âItâs because of Felix,â Minho argued, and you had to admit, your interest was piqued. âWho do you think was the test subject for all his recipes?â
âWhat, were they bad?â You asked, intrigued.
Minho smiled ruefully. âSome were. But the most dangerous ones were the great ones. Thereâs only so many whole pans of brownies you can inhale before your body just rejects sugar on sight.â
Huh.
You forgot, sometimes, how close Minho and Felix were. It didnât entirely fit in with your general doctrine of âMinho = The Worstâ so it was often banished to the back of your mind.
You supposed even the absolute dregs of humanity usually had at least one redeeming quality.
âŠWait, this was coming dangerously close to an actual conversation with Minho.
âI think youâre just a coffee snob,â you dismissed with a shrug.
Minho rolled his eyes, and that brief façade of reasonable humanity vanished. âIf Muffin House figured out how to brew coffee without burning it to shit, Iâd drink it. But they havenât yet, soâŠâ
You opened your mouth, already raring to start an argument, but it was at that moment that the person in front of Minho in the queue finished ordering. Minho turned away from you, and walked up to the counter.
You followed closely behind, and it was only when your attention shifted from Minho to the person behind the counter that your eyes lit up.
âSeungmin?â
Seungmin blinked, leaning to the side just a little to look over Minhoâs shoulder at you, surprised. âOh, hey! Long time no see.â
Seungmin had been a stalwart member of your debate team for the first few years of undergrad, until he landed a job as research assistant for one of the most respected professors on campus. You had a lot of good feeling towards him, not least because he â along with Felix â often acted as the mediator between you and Minho.
He must have remembered that role too, as his gaze soon shifted back and forth between you and Minho, and his brow furrowed slightly. âWait, are you two getting coffee? Like, together?â
You saw Minho bristle out of the corner of your eye, and you fought back a scoff. Did he really find it so insulting to be seen in public with you? âYes, we are.â
Seungminâs eyes flickered between the two of you again. ââŠVoluntarily?â
Minho answered this time, seemingly through gritted teeth. âApparently.â
âHuh,â Seungmin said, mostly to himself. âInteresting.â
âCan we order now?â Minho asked, impatiently.
Seungmin shrugged, ignoring Minhoâs rudeness, and set about taking your orders.
(Of course, Minho took his coffee black. Pretentious motherfucker probably had a whole thing about palate and bean aroma or whatever. You threw in a muffin with your order, to spite Minho more than anything else.)
It was only at the end, when it came to payment, that Seungmin looked up again at the two of you. âAre you guys paying separately, orâŠ?â
That was kind of a dumb question.
âSeparately,â you said, pointing out the obvious.
âVery separately,â Minho echoed, giving Seungmin a very pointed look.
Impressively, Minhoâs glare did little to change Seungminâs expression. In fact, Seungmin only smiled a little wider, calmly reverting back to his standard customer service script. ââŠOK. Cash or card?â
After payment, it only took a few minutes of waiting for your coffee before you found yourself sat at a table in the corner of the coffee shop, facing directly across from Minho.
The two of you sat there in silence, coffee in front of you.
How did youâŠhow did you even start a conversation with Minho that wasnât an argument? Usually, you relied on him to say something incorrect and pounce on it.
Now? You had to figure out how to beâŠnice. Civil. All because of this dumb speech.
You watched Minho shrug off his coat, turning in his seat to drape the coat over the back of his chair. The black turtleneck he was wearing underneath was surprisingly form-fitting, and when he turned back around to face you and pick up his mug, your eyes dropped down to your own cup before you gave into the urge to scowl openly.
Sometimes, you wondered if it would be harder to hate Minho if he were less attractive.
It was a thought you crushed down the second it came into your head, but you couldnât entirely deny it. There had been moments, unspeakable moments, when you started dating someone, that your brain betrayed you and compared them to Minho. It was like he had to justâŠinfect every part of your life. He had to ruin everything.
You swallowed, curling your fingers around the handle of your mug, tapping the edge of it with your thumb. ââŠSo, the speech.â
âThe speech.â
âI assume Koning already talked to you about it?â
âYes.â
ââŠAnd?â You said, resisting the urge to scream. This was like pulling teeth. âYour thoughts?â
Minho sat back in his chair, eyeing you closely. âWhy the U.N.?â
Easy question. So easy, youâd almost call it moronic. âItâs the U.N. Itâs literally where I want my career to take me.â
âYou want to work at the U.N.?â Minho asked, and you could almost mistake his tone for interest.
âYes,â you said, confidently, half-prepared to defend yourself in case Minho decided to find your ambition laughable. Screw him. âThe Human Rights Council, preferably, but I wouldnât say no to a job in the General Assembly.â
âWho would?â Minho remarked, deadpan.
âErgo, a speech there. It wasnât easy, but we managed it,â you said, not even pretending to be humble.
ââŠItâs impressive, honestly. What youâve achieved.â
âWhat me and Felix achieved,â you corrected him automatically, but honestly, you were a little thrown. That soundedâŠdangerously close to a compliment. From Minho.
âKoning said it was your idea,â Minho said. âYou came up with the proposal, and you were the one ballsy enough to actually submit it to the U.N.â
âYeah, but the speech is literally on environmental preservationââ
âInternational NGO commitment to environmental preservation,â Minho interrupted, and you bit down the sudden flare of anger that he felt the need to correct you on your own fucking speech topic. âInternational commitment is your wheelhouse, isnât it?â
âAnd Felix is literally specialising in environmentalism,â you reminded him, and it was then that one of your biggest concerns about this whole situation reared its head. âWhich reminds me, actually, why did they pick you to replace him on it?â
Minho stared at you for a solid moment, eyebrows slowly raising, as if he couldnât believe you were being serious.
You felt yourself bristling, growing defensive. âWhat? Youâre a politics student, notââ
âMy masterâs thesis was literally on environmental activism. I help teach undergrad classes on green politics and ecological efforts in government policy. How do you not know this?â
âŠOK. So, fine, maybe you didnât pay that much attention to what Minho actually studied. Why would you? You imagined it would only piss you off more, reading through his fucking glowing examples of academic writing â like, seriously, in your second year of undergrad, one of your professors used one of his essays as a literal example of how to do the assignment.
You scoffed, lifting your coffee up to your mouth, muttering under your breath. âEgo-logical efforts, more like.â
Minho tilted his head, clearly having heard every word you just said. âWhat was that?â
You stared him down, taking one long, unabashed drink of coffee, before setting your cup down. Maintaining eye contact, you forced your most innocent smile. âNothing.â
Another moment of silence fell between the two of you, as Minhoâs mouth twitched. You could tell he was very tempted to call you out, and you almost wanted to dare him to say something. Going this long without some kind of conflict with Minho feltâŠweird. Strange.
Instead, Minho sighed, and you couldnât imagine the visible shock on your face when his expression actually softened towards you. ââŠLook. I know you really wanted to work with Felix on this. Itâs really shitty that this got taken out of your hands.â
âŠWhat? What the fuck was happening here?
He continued. âIâm sorry you got screwed over like this.â
What the fuck was in this coffee?
âIâm not trying to butt in and mess with everything youâve prepared,â Minho said. âI genuinely just want to help you. I know weâve gotâŠissues.â
âThatâs a bit of an understatement.â
âSometimes people just donât get along,â Minho said, eyes flickering downwards to his mug as he took a sip of coffee. âBut I hope we can be professional about this.â
You fought the urge to scowl, but you couldnât quite stop yourself from clenching your jaw at the assumption.
You could be professional.
You could be insanely fucking professional.
âYes, I hope we can,â you said, your voice perfectly level. Calm. Composed. Professional. âSo, actually, until this speech is overâŠwhy donât we call a truce?â
Minho blinked, caught off-guard by your choice of words. ââTruceâ?â
âYeah. Until the speech is done, weâll try to be nice to each other. No more argumentsâŠâ you trailed off, the words already sounding hollow and you were the one saying them. You backtracked slightly. âOK, maybe some academic debate. But nothing personal.â
âNothing petty,â Minho added, giving you a pointed look.
It took an impressive amount of willpower to force your smile to stay on your face. âExactly. We somehow managed it as kids. How hard could it be to do it again, for the next few months?â
Minho didnât answer immediately, clearly thinking the proposition over.
You took another sip of coffee, trying your best to leave it at that. But you couldnât help but add, pointedly. âI mean, I donât think itâll be hard for me. But if you think youââ
âIâll manage,â Minho interjected, dryly, unimpressed. âYouâre the one who starts it most of the time, anyway.â
âI donâtââ you bit your tongue, taking a second to claw back your patience. ââŠI mean, I donât know what youâre talking about.â
âSure.â
You sat just a little taller, frowning. âOK. So, weâre decided.â
âYep.â
âTruce?â
âTruce.â
ââŠGood.â
âGood.â
âGreat,â you said, maybe just a little eager to get the last word. Maybe.
It was only when you took another sip of coffee, content with yourself, that Minho dropped the sudden curveball. âMy housemates are throwing a Halloween party this weekend. Maybe you should come.â
You very almost did a spit-take with your coffee. âWhat?â
âIf youâre so interested in a truce,â Minho added, tapping his fingers against the wooden surface of the table, and that was when you recognised the invitation for what it was.
A challenge.
Minho was absolutely trying to get you to chicken out.
You straightened your shoulders. âIâd be happy to,â you said, and it sounded vaguely threatening.
âGreat, Iâll let them know.â
âLooking forward to it.â
âMe too,â Minho said, his words so edged, you could imagine them slicing into you.
Yeah, this truce was definitely going to last.
This was a terrible idea.
You hesitated on the pavement outside of what was very obviously a Halloween party in full swing. Youâd purposely waited a little, hoping to avoid the awkward early stages of house parties, your imagination filled with dreadful images of being one of the first to show up and having to make conversation with Minho.
The later, the better. More people to act as a buffer, and a better excuse to get drunk.
Hopefully, fingers-crossed, maybe Minho had already gotten absolutely wasted and wouldnât even notice you were there.
Bolstered by the thought, you shot a text to Felix â who should already be inside, having volunteered to swing by early and help his older brother with decorations â to say that you were here.
OK.
Breathe.
Go.
You marched up the path towards the front door, refusing to be distracted by the partygoers scattered around the front yard, smoking and chatting and one couple leaning against the wall and already looking very handsy.
The front door was open, and you made your way inside, senses alert for any sign of Felix (to approach) and Minho (to avoid) as you did so.
The house was impressively large for student housing â of course it was, Minho lived here â and yet, every room held a crowd of people. Dancing, drinking, having fun. A drunk girl, dressed in what looked to be some variation of zombie Disney princess, stumbled into you, giggling apologetically as she did. Her drink â a can of something, maybe a bottle â was icy-cold as it brushed against your thigh.
You should have worn something longer, you thought. Your costume was cute, and dare you say, maybe even kinda hot, but it was not cut out for any temperatures colder than a room full of warm bodies. Just the walk up to the house had you shivering, just a little.
Your hunt for Felix led you from room to room, as you tried and failed to prevent yourself from rolling your eyes at the size of this place. Someone had set up tables â multiple â for beer pong in one room, while another room hosted an impressive speaker system for dancing, while another room was all softly-lit and calm background music, clearly the designated room for quieter, laid-back conversation.
A layout that checked all the house party boxes, sure. But a terrible place to try and track someone down.
Eventually, somehow, you found yourself in the kitchen, and it was here that you wondered whether you should just give up for a second and grab something to drink. Youâd find Felix at some point, hopefully. Just as long as you didnât run intoâŠ
âOh.â
You turned at the voice, instinctively, but on second thoughts maybe you should have pretended not to hear.
Minho was standing in front of you, leaning against the kitchen counter.
And heâŠ
He lookedâŠ
Holy fucking shit.
From the fake blood on his billowy white shirt and the painted-on bite mark on his neck, he was clearly some kind of vampire. Someone â maybe Minho himself â had applied the subtlest amount of eyeliner, and between that and the rumpled dark hair, and theâŠ
Fuck, those were leather pants. Skin-tight.
Oh, you had to leave right nowâ
âHi,â you said, standing your ground.
âYouâre late,â Minho noted.
It was only then that you realised Minho was part of a loose cluster of guys, all of whom turned to see who Minho was talking to.
And one of them, to your intense relief, was Felix.
âHey!â Felix greeted, wandering over to throw an arm around you in a half-hug. He was a cheerful drinker, and youâd be lying if you said it didnât help your confidence a little to see someone so unambiguously happy to see you here.
When he pulled away, you noticed that the little hand-drawn stitches around his neck had already started to smudge. Miraculously the little fake plastic bolts on either side of his head remained intact.
âI like your costume,â Felix told you. âItâs veryâŠpink.â
âIt is very pink,â you agreed, looking down at yourself.
When you glanced up, you caught the way Minhoâs eyes flickered upwards too, as if heâd just finished looking you up and down.
You tensed a little, preparing yourself for some kind of critique. Lee Minho, champion appraiser of cheap Halloween costumes.
To your surprise, however, Minho quickly averted his eyes and took a deep swig of the drink in his hand.
âI like your costume too,â one of Minhoâs friends chimed in. He was kind of cute, all dark hair and big brown eyes, so adorable that his werewolf costume came across as looking more like a chipmunk. âWhat are you?â
You smiled, relaxing a little. âThe most accomplished woman of our time.â
The guy blinked, looking briefly thrown for a second, eyes back on your costume as he tried to decipher who you were.
But Minho, astonishingly, cracked a half-smile. Which, for Minho, was practically a laugh. âAre you Barbie?â
âYes,â you admitted, reluctantly, half-tempted to lie just to be petty. Except, damn it, no more pettiness. Youâd agreed.
âBarbie is the most accomplished woman of our time?â
âPrincess. Astronaut. President. I am prepared to fight you on this.â
âReally?â
âYes, and Iâll win.â
âMm,â Minho hummed, and again, his gaze flickered downwards. What, was it so shocking to see you in pink?
You shifted your weight, and you almost folded your arms over your chest before you remembered what the neckline was like on this dress. Maybe not.
Unbeknownst to you, Felix and Minhoâs friend exchanged a look.
Clearing your throat, you turned your attention to the large and varied alcohol selection littering the kitchen counter. âSo, what can I get to drink here?â
âMinho can talk you through it,â Minhoâs friend suddenly announced, patting Minho on the shoulder. Minho blinked, tearing his eyes away from you to look at his friend. âIâm gonna go find Chan, he promised me a beer pong rematch. Felix, bro, you should come with.â
Felix hesitated. ââŠActually, maybe Iââ
âNah, come on,â Minhoâs friend insisted, hooking his arm with Felixâs, cheerfully pulling him away. âBe my cheerleader.â
You stared, as it dawned on you that your biggest support in this minefield of a conversation was being frogmarched away.
Right. OK. Alone with Minho.
Cool.
You chanced a look back towards Minho, only to find him still watching you, and you quickly diverted your attention to the alcohol again. Smoothing down your skirt, you forced yourself to shrug. âI thought about coming as Frieda Dalen, but I figured no one would get the reference. She wasââ
âThe first woman to speak at the U.N., yeah.â
You snapped your head back to stare at him, bewildered. âHow the fuck do you know that?â
Minho raised one eyebrow, and you were genuinely irritated that, in combination with the hair and the blood and the outfit in general, it almostâŠalmost maybe twisted something in your gut. âMy first official university debate was about the history of women in global affairs. She was a good factoid. 1946, right?â
You fought the urge to scowl as you confirmed his answer. âYep. 1946.â
And, because even the tightest of leather couldnât dull your burning dislike of seeing Minho smug, you pressed him further.
âDo you remember which country she was the delegate of?â
âNo,â Minho admitted, tilting his head slightly to one side as he looked at you. After a moment, he straightened up from where heâd been leaning, gaining an inch or two of height in doing so, forcing you to tilt your chin up slightly to continue meeting his gaze. âWhy donât you tell me?â
His words should have sounded patronising.
Except, there was a strange edge to his voice, almost a playfulness but not quite. Not a lightness, because it definitely didnât feel light. It felt kind of heavy, actually.
If you didnât know any better, you would almost mistake it asâŠ
âMinho!â
Both of you jolted at the sudden shout, barely having the time to turn towards it source before a tall guy with a Phantom of the Opera mask and ridiculously pretty long, blond hair staggered into Minho and hugged him.
You blinked, too caught off-guard to even appreciate the bemused expression on Minhoâs face as the pretty guy mumbled into his shoulder. âMinho, I thinkâŠIâm druuunk.â
You took that as the perfect opportunity to back out of thisâŠinteraction with Minho, even as something strange twisted inside of you. You quickly grabbed the closest drink you could and retreated out of the kitchen as fast as your dignity would allow.
You needed to drink. And maybe dance. Anything to distract you, before your mind wandered anywhere dangerous.
This wasnât working.
Drinking your problems away was a terrible idea in and of itself, but youâd been tempted to give it a go. After your second drink, however, you were blindsided with the intrusive thought of getting wasted and throwing up in Minhoâs bathroom, and all the humiliation that could go with it, and it had warned you off alcohol for the rest of the night.
Dancing, your alternative solution, had worked for the first hour or so. You had let loose a little, but as your drink-fuelled buzz slowly faded, you found yourself growing increasingly uncomfortable by the stale air and the press of warm bodies. You were getting hot, something under your skin beginning to itch.
You needed to get out of here, just for a moment, to clear your head.
With crowds of people blocking your way to the front door, you decided on a different path towards some peace and quiet. Upstairs was mostly left untouched, understandable since there were no drinks to be found and no music playing, and you breathed out a sigh of relief when you reached the top of the stairs and turned a corner, and found an empty hallway.
Perfect.
Before you could think twice, you sat down on the floor, your back against the wall. The relief of taking a break from standing in these heels was immediate, and you let your head loll backwards, closing your eyes.
You just needed a few minutes here, you decided. Just to recharge.
âWhat are you doing?â
You didnât open your eyes, but you felt your expression immediately sour. Of course it had to be the worst possible person to find you here, alone and close to misery, sitting in the hallway.
Minho approached, or at least, that was what you gathered from the sound of his footsteps. He came to a halt fairly close, pausing, and spoke up again.
âHow are you this wasted already?â Minho asked, and there was surprisingly little amusement in his voice at the idea. In fact, youâd almost mistake it for concern.
âI am distressingly sober, actually,â you replied, slowly opening one eye to glare at him, but it was half-hearted at best, and you closed it again. âJust needed some quiet. Had a headache.â
Minho didnât say anything in response. In fact, it was silent for so long, you started to wonder if heâd walked off without you even noticing, when he suddenly spoke up again. âI know a good place for quiet. And for fresh air, if you want it.â
Slowly, you opened your eyes again, fixing him with a look of suspicion. Admittedly, whatever he was suggesting sounded like the perfect place for you right now â which was exactly the reason you were so suspicious. âWhere?â
âItâs pretty nearby,â Minho said, and to your disbelief, held out his hand.
Your eyes flickered from his face, to his outstretched hand, to his face again, before taking a deep breath and pushing yourself up to your feet by yourself. To his credit, Minho withdrew his hand smoothly, seemingly unaffected by your refusal to take it.
âAfter you,â you said, still reluctant to let down your guard.
Minho nodded, and set off down the hallway, going just a little further from where you were sitting, and stopping in front of a door. With a glance back to you, probably checking to see if you were still following, or if youâd lied about being sober and collapsed while he wasnât looking, he opened it and wandered inside.
You took a few steps towards it â and then caught one look inside the room and halted dead in your tracks.
That wasâŠ
Was that�
âIs that your fucking bedroom?â You asked, in pure disbelief.
Minho stopped, turning around to look at you, and how the fuck could he look so calm about this? ââŠYeah? Last time I checked, why?â
âWhy? Are youâŠâ you trailed off, scoffing, before putting on your best Minho impression. ââI know a good place, come follow meâ and itâs your bedroom. Come on.â
âI wasnâtâŠI was talking about the balcony. Thereâs a balcony throughâŠâ Minho gestured vaguely towards the far wall, where you realised the huge ceiling-to-floor curtains hanging there must be hiding the doors to it.
Of course he has a balcony.
Of course.
For once in his life, Minho looked just the slightest bit ruffled as he finally caught on to the incredibly obvious implications.
He swallowed. âLook, if youâre not comfortable, thatâsââ
You interrupted him with a scoff. âIâm not uncomfortable.â
In fact, to prove just how comfortable you were, you marched into his room, forcing yourself to appear entirely unbothered.
âSee? Fine,â you said. âJust, maybe lead with the balcony thing next time, so you donât look like some massive sleaze.â
Again, Minhoâs reaction surprised you. Instead of anger or annoyance at your accusation, Minho cracked another half-smile. âFair.â
âŠYeah, you really werenât used to this whole âniceâ thing between the two of you. It felt weird, like the very foundations of your dynamic were shaken by it.
As Minho led you towards the balcony, you tried your best not to look too closely at his bedroom, as much as your curiosity protested otherwise. The most detail you got was that it was fairly neat, fairly clean, and he had a stupidly large bed. Which, you know, Minho, fuck-you money, that made sense.
You point-blank refused to dwell on it.
As soon as he slid open the door, you quickly leaned forward and breathed in that refreshing cold night air, and felt your headache fade just a little. It was only when you stepped out onto the balcony that you truly felt yourself relax, and the tension built up in your head began to ease.
âBetter?â Minho asked, and you heard him come up from behind you, coming to a stop beside you to look up at the night sky. You couldnât make out many stars from here, thanks to the light pollution of the city, but it was still undeniably a pretty cool view.
âYeah,â you admitted and, begrudgingly, you turned towards him to mutter. ââŠThanks.â
âNo problem.â
âI wonât be too long out here,â you added, feeling the weirdest need to justify accepting this kindness from Minho, to downplay it. âIâm not exactly dressed for October weather.â
Minho paused, keeping his gaze fixed on the night sky above and very much not on you. âYeah.â
âŠYeah?
You frowned, unable to stop yourself from feeling slightly defensive. âI mean, youâre one to talk.â
That got his attention. Suddenly, Minho had no problem looking at you. âWhat?â
âYour pants, Minho. Did you paint them on yourself?â
And you realised then and there that you must have made some kind of error, because Minho looked genuinely amused. Glancing down at himself for a moment, his eyes wandered back up to meet yours, and there was a genuine note of curiosity in his voice. âWhat, do you like them?â
You stilled, faltering just slightly, before retorting. âIâd probably like the cow theyâre made from more.â
âDonât worry, theyâre not real leather,â Minho quipped back. âIf thatâs your only issue with them.â
âWell, you know, the fake leather industry is actuallyâŠâ you trailed off, because your comeback sounded lame even in your head. âWhatever.â
The two of you fell into a silence, both watching the stars for a moment, listening to the thud of the bass downstairs and the muffled cacophony of voices.
And then, quietly, reluctantly, Minho spoke. ââŠCan I ask you a genuine question?â
If it was about the pants, you might actually throw him off this balcony. âOK. Youâre not guaranteed a genuine answer, but go ahead.â
âThe U.N. speech. It was your idea. If you want to go into human rights, why are you doing a speech about the environment?â
You paused, genuinely flustered by his question. Your response came out jumbled. âI donâtâŠyou know, the two arenât mutually exclusive, environmental damage is having a huge impact onââ
âYeah, but thatâs not what the speech is actually about. Itâs a great speech, but why isnât it on a subject youwant to do?â
âWho says? You? You donât know what I want,â you shot back, irritated, refusing to admit that heâd touched a nerve.
Rather than snapping back at you immediately, Minho took a deep breath, calming slightly. ââŠYouâre right. I donât. I shouldnât assume.â
What was this? You didnât want him to agree with you, you wanted an argument. This âniceâ, truce stuff was really starting to grate on you. âExactly.â
âItâs justâŠitâs important that you do what you want, and not try to shape yourself around other people.â
âI donât,â you argued. âMaybe what I want is for you not to attack every little decision I make. Like you always do.â
Minhoâs brow furrowed, his stance shifting slightly. It took a second to realise that he was appraising you, eyeing you thoughtfully.
âYouâŠreally seem to dislike me,â he noted.
âOh, do I?â You remarked, bitterly.
âWhy is that?â
You let out a deep breath, mostly out of frustration, but also a little out of exhaustion. Closing your eyes for a moment, you tried to construct some kind of response.
There seemed to be a multitude of answers to that question. Minho was arrogant. He was atrociously blunt in most social settings and seemed indifferent to the hurt he caused others. He had an exorbitant amount of money and had very few qualms showcasing it. He scared away almost every single new debate team recruit because he was apparently allergic to the concept of constructive criticism. Heâd ruined more than one relationship youâd had. Apparently, you talked too much about him, but there were only so many ways to honestly answer questions about your day or how you were feeling without mentioning how aggravating Minho was in some capacity.
But honestly, the more you thought about it, the more you felt yourself slipping back into the shell of that little fourteen-year-old, looking up at the cool older boy with wide eyes and hoping for just one kind word.
And it made you feel soâŠsmall. Pathetic.
âBecause youâre an asshole,â you stated, simply.
Minho stared at you for a second, before frowning slightly. âI mean, not really.â
âŠOh, he decided to say just exactly the wrong thing there, didnât he?
âYou absolutely are. Like, objectively,â you argued. âYou literally made a girl cry last week over debating.â
âWhat? Who?â
âThat first-year girl. Dark hair, super perky. You know, when sheâs not crying her eyes out.â
Something approaching recognition dawned on Minhoâs face, but to your surprise, his expression dimmed slightly. âOh, her. She told you it was about her debating?â
Well, not in exact words, you wanted to say. But it wasnât hard to read between the lines, given what you knew Minho to be capable of.
âOK, then what was it about?â You asked.
âShe came up to me after our last meeting and asked for some tutoring,â Minho said, before giving you a very pointed look. âAs in, a specific kind of âprivateâ tutoring. Very specific. And she was not subtle about it.â
You blinked. ââŠWhat?â
Minhoâs brow furrowed, visibly searching through his memory of the incident. âTo be fair, I might have laughed in her face. In my defence, it was less about her and more about the audacity.â
You pictured the scene, of that girl coming onto Minho, his face when he realised what was happening, and the worst part of you maybe wanted to smirk a little. But you would not indulge it. âStill, sounds like you could have been nicer abut it.â
âOK, yeah, I feel a little bad. But no, it wasnât over her debating skills. I might be harsh, but you think Iâd make someone cry over that and not give a shit?â
Every ounce of amusement drained out of you in an instant, replaced by something cold. âI meanâŠyeah, youâve done it before.â
âWhat? When?â
He didnât know?
How could he not know?
You might have finished sobbing by the time youâd confronted him, all those years ago, but hadnât it been extremely obvious?
You stared at Minho for a good few seconds, waiting for him to slip up, to give up the joke. But all you got in return was a genuinely confused expression on his face, waiting for you to clarify what exactly you were talking about.
Oh.
Yeah, he really didnât know.
Shit.
You swallowed, looking down at your hands, picking at one particularly jagged edge of your thumbnail. ââŠMe.â
Minho stilled. You could feel his eyes burning into the side of your head, searching your face. âYou cried?â
Oh, fuck this guy. You stiffened, embarrassment roiling in the pit of your stomach, and snapped, seething. âJust forget itââ
âNo, I didnât meanâŠâ he trailed off. When you braved a look over at him, you didnât find the smirk you were expecting. Minho looked genuinely chastened, watching you with a deep but unreadable emotion. âIâŠdidnât know.â
You didnât like this, you didnât know how to handleâŠearnest Minho. Where the fuck did asshole Minho go?
âIt was just the once. It was my first debate, and you were a dick about it,â you said, forcing yourself to shrug.
âOh,â Minho said, with such a strangely specific tone that you couldnât help but look over at him. There was a look of dawning realisation on his face, and the slightest hint ofâŠ
Embarrassment?
âI think I remember that,â Minho said, sounding vaguely horrified. ââŠThis is going to sound dumb.â
Minho? Dumb? And aware of that fact? ââŠOK.â
âAnd a little pathetic.â
âGood, go on.â
âBut I think, at the timeâŠI was hoping youâd ask me for help.â
You stilled, trying to comprehend the string of words that had just left his mouth. Trying to forge them into anything that made even the smallest bit of sense.
ââŠAnd you didnât, I donât know, think about offering your help? Before humiliating me in front of my classmates?â You asked, and you almost surprised yourself with the way your voice shook with an old, familiar anger. âThat didnât, you know, maybe occur to you?â
Minho turned his whole body to face you head-on, hand curling around the balcony railing at his side. It was in that moment, seeing him entirely, that you glimpsed that blunt, ruthless young man that had cut you so deeply all those years ago â and saw, for the first time, how small he really was. That memory had taken up so much space in your mind, had warped itself until Minho towered over you, a titan, a symbol of each and every one of your failings.
Now, for once, a new image appeared. An awkward teenage boy, too embarrassed to admit that he wanted to be something in your eyes.
You softened, just for a second.
And then, remembering yourself, remembering all that had happened between the two of you since then, you came back to your senses.
âAnd what about everything after? Itâs not like you were nice after that one little misunderstanding, you picked at everything I did for years.â
âIn my defence, neither were you. You refused to speak to me unless you had to for years,â Minho pointed out. âAnd I realised how much you could do, what you could achieveââ
âIf you kept being an asshole?â
âIf I held you to actual standards,â Minho corrected, and for the first time in this conversation, he was starting to get heated. Good. âThe next time the club met, you wiped the floor with seniors. Seniors. You were just as good as me, and you barely had experience.â
A compliment from Minho, however begrudging and biting it was, had a dangerously addicting effect on you. Actually, maybe the begrudging part only made it better. âAnd what? That pissed you off?â
Minhoâs expression faltered, just for a split-second, and that spoke more than any confession could.
âIt did,â you said, half-shocked for a second, before pressing on. âSo, you wouldnât get off my fucking back foryears. You even turned up at nationals after you graduated, hoping Iâd fall flat on my face.â
âIs that what you think?â Minho asked, incredulous.
âWhat else would it be?â
âOh, I donât know, maybeâŠâ Minho stopped, before letting out a short, bitter laugh. âNever mind. Forget it.â
You wanted to press him further, but the anger that had sustained you so far was starting to flag a little.
This was justâŠexhausting, sometimes.
You let out a deep breath, just as a cold October breeze decided to kick up, making you shiver. Instinctively, you folded your arms over your chest, tucking your hands into your sides to get just a little bit of warmth.
Maybe it was time for you to leave.
You looked over at Minho, opening your mouth to say somethingâ
Only to catch his gaze openly, unmistakably, dipping down towards your cleavage.
You stopped.
You stared.
His eyes moved upwards again, finding yours, and he realised heâd been caught.
He tensed, just for a second, and you watched a tangle of emotions play out across his face before he settled on a neutral, blank, composed expression. But he didnât speak.
He justâŠlooked at you.
Waiting for you to say something? Daring you to say something?
It was hard to decipher, because at that moment, your brain was still 100% stuck on the fact that Minho had been checking you out.
Because that wasnât some little accidental flicker, his gaze had stayed there.
Minho had been absolutely, undeniably, checking you out.
For all your complaints about the cold weather, it was starting to get very warm out here.
Why the fuck wasnât he saying something? Anything?
You swallowed â or, well, you tried to at least.
Something had awoken, deep in the pit of your stomach. You felt it starting to unfurl, slowly, your nerve endings beginning to prickle.
âAre youâŠâ you didnât finish the question, you couldnât finish the question, because the words âare you into me?â were so laughably alien that they just refused to leave your mouth.
Minho waited, expectant for something, searching your face. Whatever he found â or didnât find â was enough to make him speak.
âWhat?â he asked, and it was that same voice he had in the kitchen. Quiet, loaded, just a touch lower in register that almost made your breath catch.
It was like he was challenging you. Goading you. Wondering whether you were too much of a coward to finish that question.
You needed to ask. You needed to say it.
Come on, you were about to talk to the fucking United Nations in a few months, surely you could handle asking one question to Lee fucking Minho.
âAre youâŠattracted to me?â
Already, you were starting to cringe internally. Already, you were preparing for the worst. You tried to reassure yourself that it was fine, that when he said ânoâ you could call him out on staring at your chest, he had no room to speak, it was a logical question, itâŠ
Except Minho didnât say ânoâ.
He didnât say anything.
And the longer he looked at you, the longer he stayed silent, the more obvious his answer became.
âŠOh.
ThatâŠ
Maybe you were drunk, actually. Surely you had to be. Because the idea that Minho found you attractive didnât drive you off like you thought it would.
Minho found you attractive.
Minho, the man with an ego so large it could smother a man, a superiority complex so vast it could bring awe-stricken observers to tears, that MinhoâŠfound you attractive.
Huh.
As you stared back at him, you were hit with the sudden thought of kissing him.
Which would be a terrible idea.
Because Minho was Minho and just because he was into you, just because he was perhaps objectively maybe a little good-looking, just because heâd admitted that all these years heâd seen you as an intellectual equal, just because he had the kind of thighs that could probably crush a watermelon, heâŠ
HeâŠ
You paused, mind-blank, before rising up on your toes and pressing your lips to his.
The first few seconds were strange. Of course they were, it was surreal to feel someoneâs lips on yours and know this was Minho, holy shit. You could feel how still he was, how shocked, and you knew he must have been on the exact same wavelength.
And then, he closed his eyes, his hand lifted up to gently cup your cheek, and everything clicked together perfectly.
This felt right, like really weirdly right despite it all. Some kind of base level of brain chemistry was screaming about how right this was, and it had you shivering in a way that had nothing to do with the cold.
Was this a bad idea? The two of you had to work together for the next few months, you should have been aiming to keep things strictly professional, personal issues could complicateâ
Minho let out the tiniest exhale, recapturing your lips immediately, and your thoughts stopped dead in your tracks.
Fuck professionalism, youâd earned this, youâd been working your ass off for months, you deserved to take satisfaction whenever you could get it.
You looped your arms around his neck, pulling yourself up slightly to press the entirety of your front against his. He was warm, shockingly so, and when his free hand moved to press itself into the small of your back, you chanced parting your lips just a little.
Minho followed suit, deepening the kiss, angling his head just slightly. Everything about his touch, how he held you, it was all so strangely gentle in comparison to the usual way he treated you. As if you were an illusion, like if he squeezed too hard, you might disappear.
One of your hands came up to run your fingers up his neck, through his hair, and the drag of your fingernails coaxed a quiet hum out of him.
Every noise you pulled from Minho, every little reaction, felt like winning an argument. It felt like a strange natural extension of your debates, isolating the weakness in the otherâs defence and targeting it.
You let your fingers tangle in his hair, biding your time, and when you tested a sharp little twist, you heard his breath catch.
Minho went still, just for a second, just enough to take a deep breath, before grabbing your hip and swinging you around, pushing you up against the sliding balcony door, trapping you between it and him.
The impact was enough to knock a gasp out of you, and he pulled away briefly. You watched him, cheeks flushed, eyes dark, breath heavy, as he tried to form words. âFuck, are youââ
You pulled him back to you, a hand fisted in his shirt collar, too impatient to let him finish the rest of his question. Your kiss was rushed, insistent, and you took your time before you pulled away to mutter against his lips. âIâm fine. JustâŠfuck it, just keep kissing me.â
Minhoâs head dipped towards yours, briefly, as if he were about to do just that â before he paused. ââŠAsk me nicely.â
âFuck off,â you snapped, impulsively, heat rushing to your face.
He pulled his head away, his whole body even, until the two of you were just barely touching. He lingered, teasingly close, an amused glint in his eye. âWhy, is that want you want? Me to fuck off?â
You didnât know if he was being sincere or not. You never knew if he was being sincere or not. That was Minho, through and through.
You scrabbled for an answer, brain still sluggishly working through the fact that you werenât kissing anymore, chest rising and falling with every quickened breath. You found your words, looking him directly in the eye, tilting your chin up slightly.
âKiss me,â you said, practically venomous, before setting your jaw. âOr Iâll find someone else to do it for you.â
You didnât know why that was the threat you made. Logically, it held no weight â Minho might have been attracted to you, but would he really care if you kissed someone else? You half expected him to laugh you off, and wander off back to the party without even a glance back at you.
He did neither of those things.
In fact, the teasing look in his eye vanished completely. His gaze turned so intense that you wondered if he could burn a hole straight through you.
When he finally spoke, he was deceptively calm, his voice perfectly even as he noted out loud. âI see. So, thatâs how weâre playing this.â
You barely had time to process his words, before his mouth was back on yours, almost feverish, and with a newfound harshness.
You met him with just as much enthusiasm, matching him move-for-move.
A gentle Minho was too complicated. A soft, kind Minho forced you to confront some preconceived notions that you were very happy to keep unchallenged.
This Minho, the one who dragged his right hand down your side, the one who gripped your hip so tightly you could imagine it bruising, this was something you could handle. Something you didnât have to overthink.
Because, fuck, you really, really didnât want to think right now. You were sick of thinking, your whole life was thinking.
Minhoâs hand slipped downwards to your thigh, his palm sliding around to the back of it before he lifted your leg up slightly to slot his thigh right between yours.
The instant he lowered your leg, you realised exactly what heâd done. Immediately, you felt the press of him between your legs, subtle enough to allow plausible deniability, and yet too firm for you to just ignore. To make matters worse, you were now just slightly off-balance, your foot just brushing the floor.
You couldnât lower it, you couldnât regain your balance, without pressing down even more on his thigh. You tried anyway, and the friction resulted in your first whimper of the night, light and breathy against him.
Minhoâs grip, still on your leg, tightened.
He dropped his head to press his mouth to your neck, kissing at the skin there â and then he clenched his fucking thigh muscles, and your resulting moan slipped out right by his ear.
Your hands scrambled for him, clutching his shoulders, breath heavy as you tried not to rock your hips. You couldnât give him the satisfaction, you absolutely refused to. You grabbed a fistful of his hair again, pulling by the roots to drag his head back upwards so your mouths could meet again.
Your kiss was now heated, almost clumsy. You caught Minhoâs bottom lip between your teeth and nipped, enjoying the way he hissed, the way his tongue licked over where youâd done it, the way his left hand came up to your face â not to cradle this time, but to clutch, to grip.
His right hand moved up to your ass, giving it one firm squeeze, before suddenly and very deliberately pulling you down and along his thigh. More noises fought their way out of your mouth, and you were too weak to resist just one roll of your hips, chasing that same friction. It had barely been a few minutes, and you could already feel yourself starting to ache, heat beginning to collect at the apex of your thighs.
It was gratifying to learn, when you pulled Minho even closer, forcing the full length of his body to press against yours, that you werenât alone in that. You felt something firm beginning to press into your hip, and when you slid your hand down to confirm what it was, palm sliding against it, Minho inhaled sharply.
You grinned against his lips, and squeezed him through those damned fake-leather pants.
He groaned, eyes drifting shut for just a second, before suddenly snapping open.
âCome on,â he said, swallowing, and took you by the wrist. Before you knew it, he pulled you away from the balcony door to slide it open again, and hurriedly tugged you inside.
You had been a little too distracted to notice how much colder it must have turned outside, but inside welcomed you with a warmth that radiated through your whole body.
But it took you a moment, brain still in a thigh-induced haze, to realise the full extent of what it meant to be inside.
To be inside Minhoâs bedroom.
You hesitated as Minho slid the balcony door shut behind you, drawing the curtains together.
You stared ahead, eyes on that huge bed â and the first hints of panic seized your chest.
Quickly, almost unthinkingly, you grabbed Minho by the arm and pulled him. He stumbled, clearly caught off-guard, but he went along with it, letting you pull him to you and turn, pressing him up against the wall.
Easy. Your back was to the bed now, removing it from your sight, and that strange new weight of anxiety disappeared entirely. You went back to kissing him, hands back in his hair. Your new comfort zone, apparently.
Apparently, however, you didnât entirely fool Minho, who must have picked up on your tension at least a little.
âI thought,â he murmured, between kisses, and made no move to grab at you like he had outside, âyou might want,â more kisses, âsome more privacy.â
You hummed, non-committal, your concerns already disappearing as you tried to figure out how to get Minhoâs leg back between yours again without outright asking.
âOutside, people canâŠâ he paused, probably because your nails had scraped along his scalp almost accidentally, and he shivered, âhear.â
You pulled away slightly, hiding how breathless you were, fixing him with a playful look.
âHear what?â you challenged, pretending as if you hadnât literally moaned in his ear just a short while ago.
Minho didnât answer, but you knew that expression. It used to keep you awake at night, anger burning through you at just the thought of it. He was smug.
Surprisingly, the sight no longer filled you with burning rage â but it did prompt you to back him up against the wall again, stepping right back into his personal space, and pull his head down to kiss you again.
He relaxed into you, soft and gentle as his hands eased over your sides, which only served to wind you up more. Frustrated, you tugged at his shirt, pulling it up and out from where it had been tucked into his waistband, and let your hand snake up under it.
You had learned over the course of the evening that Minho, as mouthy as he liked to be around you, wasnât the most vocal partner youâd encountered. Maybe that would have discouraged the average person, but you knew Minho. Youâd known him for years, you knew every tell he had, the meaning behind every hint of body language.
You knew that when Minhoâs breath caught, as your hands ran up his stomach, up his chest, exploring his upper body, it was basically his equivalent of shaking with anticipation.
You took the hint, grasping his shirt with both hands and pulling it upwards. The shirt â some kind of billowy white poetâs shirt, the kind with the little lace-up ties at the neck that heâd left undone and open â was loose enough to remove easily, and you let it drop without a second thought.
Even now, despite everything, you were reluctant to stroke Minhoâs ego by openly ogling him. It was a challenge, trying to ignore the smooth skin, the lean muscle, so you dipped your head before he could see your reaction, pressing open-mouthed kisses to the underside of his collarbone.
Again, it felt like a special talent to recognise Minhoâs deep inhale, when your hands brushed his chest, for the emotions it betrayed.
Your mouth descended lower, eager, towards his chest â and you let your tongue brush his nipple.
His breath caught again, and when you experimented with a quick nip of your teeth, his grip on your sides tightened briefly.
That was Minhoâs equivalent of being horrendously, painfully turned on.
Your hand slid down past his abdomen, cupping him through his pants, and this time you let your palm gently grind against him.
Minhoâs body shivered under your touch, and it felt like winning.
And then, suddenly, as if he had somehow read your mind, he scrambled for the zipper of your dress, determined to even the playing field. You briefly pictured denying him, pictured staying clothed while undressing Minho, having that kind of advantage over him.
Tempting, maybe. But then you imagined the feel of Minhoâs hands on your bare skin, and you made your decision pretty quickly.
Minho pulled down your zipper, building anticipation as he hooked two fingers under each of your spaghetti straps and slowly peeled your dress from you, letting it pool around your ankles.
His eyes dropped, and his expression changed.
âOh, wow.â
You couldnât help but grin slightly, glancing down at what you knew Minho was staring at. Your underwear was a matching set of pastel pink silk, with little hints of lace and ribbon, even a bow or two. Youâd taken one look at it and knew it screamed princess.
âI always commit to my costumes,â you replied, refusing to feel even the smallest hint of embarrassment. It was hard to feel so anyway, with Minho staring down at you with dark eyes, drinking the sight in, amusement long since shifted into something else entirely.
He reached forward, tracing the ribbon at the edge of your bra cup with his thumb, before letting it sweep down over the lace â and right over the peak of your nipple, eliciting a sharp inhale from you. âWere you expecting someone to see it?â
âNo,â you admitted, half-tempted to arch your back, just to press your breast into the curve of his palm. âNothing about this was expected.â
Minho hummed quietly in agreement, still taking his time admiring you. He grabbed at your breast, not quite rough but not entirely gentle, fingers splayed, making sure to drag his thumb back over your nipple as he did so. âI never imagined you wearing something like this.â
You were so focused on the weight of his hand on your chest that you almost missed the implication. Almost. âImagined? You imagined?â
Minhoâs eyes darted up to meet yours, looking caught out for just a moment before his expression smoothed again. âSometimes. Occasionally.â
OK, you had to ask. âWhat did you imagine?â
âNot this,â Minho stated, stubborn, refusing to give a single detail.
Your mind whirred at the possibilities anyway. What? Did that mean it was the complete opposite of this? What was the opposite of this sugary pink ensemble? Black, sexy? Leather? A whole dominatrix-style thing, was that what Minho was into?
âTell me,â you demanded, incredibly curious now.
He hesitated, before sighing. ââŠYou know that red skirt you wear sometimes?â
Well, that was not where you thought this was going. âYeah?â
âIâve thought about you wearing it at debating. Youâre stood behind the podium, most of you hidden from sight,â Minho described, and his voice slowly began to shift. âIâm stood behind you, like Iâm reading your notes over your shoulder. You donât look at me, but your legs part, just a little.â
Your breath caught, as his left hand brushed against your inner thigh, fingertips stroking circles into the sensitive skin there.
âYou let me slide my hand up,â he continued, and slowly, his hand begins to drift upwards. âBecause you want me to know you arenât wearing anything underneath.â
Holy shit.
âAnd you want me to feel how wet you are, waiting for me,â Minho said, pausing his hand just a few inches from the edge of your underwear, waiting as he checked your face for any signs of protest.
You couldnât imagine what exactly your expression was, but youâre certain that protest was probably the furthest fucking thing from it.
And so, his hand moved, cupping you through your underwear, feeling just how damp the fabric was. Your breath rushed out shakily at the first moment of contact, almost akin to a gasp, body shuddering.
âThatâs what I imagine,â he said, and fucking shrugged, even as his thumb pressed directly against your clit.
You moaned, your hand immediately flying up to clutch at his shoulder for balance. Everything about Minhoâs touch, the pressure, the pace, screamed relaxed. He wasnât trying to do anything but justâŠtouch you. Gauge your reaction.
You closed your eyes, dropping your forehead to his shoulder, as his fingers continued to work small, slow circles around your clit, still over the barrier of your excessively pretty underwear.
âShould have known,â you murmured, trying not to gasp, and trying not to push your hips towards his hands. âYouâre the type to tease.â
Minhoâs voice came low from somewhere above your ear, as his hand moved at that same maddening pace. âNot usually.â
âAh,â you breathed, understanding. He was on the exact same wavelength as you. Every reaction sparked from the other was a victory, to be enjoyed, to be savoured. âI get it. Iâm special.â
Minho murmured something under his breath, something you couldnât quite make out, and pressed just a little firmer against you. You moaned from the surprise of it, burying your face further into his neck.
Beneath your hand, you could feel his dick twitch, now so firm and so insistently pressing against your hand that you knew it had to be aching, trapped in those skin-tight pants like that.
You moved your hand up, struggling briefly with how tightly his waistband sat around his hips, before your hand suddenly slipped inside, fingers grazing roughly against something slick and warm and hard.
Minho finally moaned, loudly, openly, hips bucking briefly up into your hand. âShit.â
âWhat was that you were saying?â you asked, innocently, running your fingers back over what you knew to be his cockhead, teasing. âAbout no underwear?â
Minho sucked in a breath, and from where your head was resting in the crook of his neck, you could hear him swallow. ââŠThese were already too fucking small.â
âThey are stupidly tight.â
âDonât act like you â fuck,â he hissed, cutting himself off. Probably because youâd squeezed him again.
His free hand found its way to the corner of your jaw, prying your face away from his neck so he could duck his head down and kiss you, hungrily. You reciprocated, basking in the way he groaned against your mouth.
And then, he asked. âBed?â
You stilled, hesitating. ââŠBed?â
Minho paused, pulling away a little to take in your expression. Immediately, you did your best to smooth it out, to appear unbothered, casual, fine.
He wasnât fooled. âIs something up?â
You swallowed, still trying to maintain your composure. âBesides your dick? No.â
Minho raised an eyebrow, and faked one short, sharp laugh. âHa. Youâre so funny when you dodge the subject.â
âIâm not dodging anything,â you argued.
He paused again, waiting, watching you. And, after a moment, he pulled his hand away from your underwear to wrap around your wrist, gently tugging your hand out of his pants.
âOK, fine,ââ you relented, composure cracking. That old familiar dread returned, lodging itself in the pit of your stomach. âI just donâtâŠdo this. All this,â you said, gesturing between the two of you, and towards the room at large. âThe way itâs all spontaneous, I mean.â
âMe neither,â Minho said, calmly, still waiting expectantly. âWhat else?â
Fucker.
You scowled, jaw clenching, teeth gritted as you admitted. âAnd my experience in general, isâŠone could say limited.â
âI figured as much.â
âRude,â you pointed out, vaguely offended. Youâd had this man fucking shivering from just touching him. And what? Now, he was calling you inexperienced? Amateurish? Like he could tell the whole time? Bullshit.
âNo, notâŠâ Minho cleared his throat, looking mildly exasperated. It was a look you often inspired in him. âI donât mind. Thatâs why Iâm saying this, because I donât want you pretending when it comes to shit like this. If youâre not going to be honest, I donât want it.â
Honest.
Shit.
You hesitated, debating internally, weighing the pros and cons in your head. It was so fucking Minho to pick the most aggravating time to do the right thing. Of course, the one time that him being an asshole worked in your favour, he refused to do it.
âFine,â you snapped, crossing your arms over your chest. âFine. OK.â
He waited, eyes on you, and you couldnât stop yourself from averting your gaze, looking up at the ceiling.
âTechnicallyâŠtechnically,â you repeated, with emphasis, âone might argue thatâŠI havenât had sex yet.â
Minho stilled, staring at you, eyes widening.
You swallowed, trying to stay firm. âItâs really not a big dealâŠâ
âIt is,â Minho argued, tersely, but when you looked at his face, there wasnât a hint of anger. There was, however, a strong hint of guilt in his eyes. You could practically see his thoughts, the way he replayed everything heâd done tonight, the fear that heâd done too much, come on too strong, picturing you as some blushing innocent virgin heâd defloweredâ
âIâve done everything else,â you said, eager to clear up that misconception. You were far from innocent, there was just one particular act you hadnât gotten around to. âHands, oral, all that. Done it. Itâs literally the one thing that hasnâtâŠlike, Iâve had relationships, it just never reached the point thatâŠâ
It always went around in circles. You wanted your relationship to be serious, to be settled and firmly established and in a good place before it happened â but the time it took to get there made your partners panic, made them think that to go so long without sex, without wanting them, the relationship must actually secretly be failing. And then youâd break up, and youâd be even more guarded and hesitant the next time, and on it went.
âAnd Iâve been busy with school and my career anyway,â you added, swallowing, forcing a shrug. âWho has the time?â
Minho was still staring at you, but at least the guilt had faded away.
Heâd made no move to get away from you, at least, so you took this as a good sign. With a deep breath, you turned around and took slow, measured steps towards that ridiculously large bed, and looked him dead in the eye as you made a point of sitting down on it.
Doing your best to sound certain, reassuring, convincing without leaving a single bit of room for doubt, you spoke.
âIâm happy and comfortable with everything but sex-sex happening. So, if you want thatâŠâ you trailed off, trying to think of a polite way to phrase the thought in your head, before giving up with a shrug. âTough shit, I guess. Thatâs my line in the sand. Everything else is fair game, though, so donât get allâŠweird about it.â
âIâm not getting weird about it,â Minho said, stubbornly.
âYou were. Just a little. Like youâre afraid to break me or something.â
Something sparked in Minhoâs eyes, and he smiled slightly. âIâd never think I could do that.â
âGood, because you canât,â you repeated, firmly. âThere, honesty. Done. So, either come over here or leave.â
âLeave my own room?â Minho asked, amused.
âYeah,â you said, doubling down, leaning back to plant both hands behind you on the bed. âItâs my room now.â
For a second, it looked like Minho was going to laugh. And then you caught the way his eyes began to lower, following the lines of your body, the way you were sitting on his bed, clad only in underwear, waiting.
He exhaled slowly, appreciatively. ââŠThis is happening.â
You werenât sure if that was aimed at you, or himself, but either way it didnât matter much when he crossed the room in a flash. Barely taking the time to plant one knee into the mattress beside you, his mouth was on yours, hand on the back of your head.
It was a gentle gesture, sweet even, how he cradled the back of your head.
So, just to be certain that he knew exactly where you stood, and exactly how much patience you had for gentleness, you took his other hand and slid it into your panties.
Minho groaned, pulling away from the kiss to look down, and you felt his fingers slip through your folds, the movement made slick and easy by the way you were soaked.
âYouâre so impatient,â he muttered, but he didnât sound particularly annoyed about it. âAll the time.â
âYeah,â you replied, unapologetic. âI know what I want.â
âMmhm. And so do I,â he said, and pulled his hand out of your underwear. You opened your mouth to argue, to question why, until you felt his hands move to your back, to the fastening of your bra.
He unhooked it easily, sliding the straps off your shoulders. Pushing up from the bed to stand tall, Minho let the bra fall from his hands, before reaching down to grab at your waist and pull you to standing.
He kissed you again, briefly, ignoring your bewildered expression, before switching your positions â him sat on the bed, you standing over him.
âThese are staying on. Theyâre a bitch to peel off,â he told you, and your gaze was practically glued to his hand as it ran up his faux-leather-clad thigh before he gestured to your underwear. âItâs up to you, what you do with those.â
Your hand, unthinkingly, drifted to the lacy hem of your underwear.
ââŠWhat, no preference?â you asked him.
Minho stared at you, eyes dark, the corners of his mouth twitching ever so slightly with knowing, and didnât reply.
Heat flooded your belly. You swallowed once, and hooked your fingers around your waistband, stripping out of your underwear before you could think twice.
He reached for you immediately, his hands on your hips, pulling you towards him. From what you could tell, he seemed to be guiding you towards straddling his lap â to which you took the slightest detour at the very last second, planting your knees either side of his thigh, the very same one that had been pushed between your legs on that balcony.
How very familiar a feeling. And yet, how very different, because now you were pressed against Minhoâs naked chest, and when you kissed, one hand went straight to your bare breast, the other arm hooked around your bare waist.
Logically, you should have felt exposed â but there was very little room for logic here, not when Minho was squeezing you so tightly against him. You feltâŠenveloped by him. By his warmth.
It wasâŠnice.
And then you finally let go of those last few traces of stubborn pride, and let yourself grind down on his thigh, and it was fucking fantastic.
You moaned, breaking the kiss to press your forehead against his, and rocked your hips faster. His thigh was so solid under you, thick bands of muscle from a lifetime of sports, clenching and unclenching. Heat pooled in your gut, spiking with every rock of your hips, every drag of your clit against him.
You felt Minhoâs hand drop from your waist to curl around your hip, gripping tightly, urging you to keep moving. You pulled your face away from his, just in case â headbutting him in the nose, no matter the context, would very probably be a mood-killer â and instead lowered your head to plant kisses on the side of his neck.
Minho tilted his head back, just a little, granting you better access, his breath escaping him in one long, shaking exhale. You were forced to grip onto his shoulder with one hand, just to steady yourself, still grinding down on him.
Tension built between your legs, pulsing with every heartbeat as you continued to grind against him, and your kisses grew clumsier. Open-mouthed, harsher, teeth scraping against sensitive skin in a way that left Minho gasping.
âIf I left marks, would itâŠâ your voice was sluggish, raspy, dazed, âwouldâŠcan I?â
It was a silly question, because the obvious answer was ânoâ, he wasnât going to want any reminders of this temporary lapse in sanity.
And yet, Minhoâs reply was immediate. âYes. Yeah, you can, ifâŠthatâsâŠâ
He broke off, with a noise so low in his throat that you could almost feel his chest vibrate from it, as your mouth latched onto his neck.
Your movements werenât deliberate, not exactly. You had no strict intentions of marking up Minhoâs skin, but it was just whenever it felt good. With every new sudden jolt of sensation shooting through your body, you sucked, leaving a path of your own pleasure scattered intermittently along his neck, the base of his throat, the swells and dips of his collarbone.
Minho reacted to each, and when you thought to look down, you saw his dick straining against his pants, so much so that it was even starting to pull his waistband away from his skin, revealing glimpses of what lay underneath.
You watched his hand lower to his crotch, as he tried to adjust himself, to figure out a way out of his discomfort. Without thinking, you reached down and pushed his hand away, letting your own slide into his paints.
Minho sharply inhaled, as you slid the palm of your hand over the head of him, letting your fingers grow slick, before wrapping your hand around his length.
He was hard, very obviously and very painfully hard.
And all of that was because of you.
Because he wanted you.
You felt your body physically judder at the thought, your thighs clamping around his. Something sparked inside of you. Up until now, youâd been turned on â obviously. You were naked on Minhoâs bed and straddling his thigh, of course youâd been turned on, but it had been manageable. Like burning coals, smouldering, blazing hot to the touch, sure, but under control.
This, seeing him like this, was as if someone had jabbed right in the heart of those coals, oxygen rushing in and flames erupting, sparks crackling in the air. No longer under control, but all-consuming and desperate.
The muscles of your core clenched so tightly that it was almost painful, and with a ragged breath, you finally began to ride in earnest.
Minho clutched you with one hand as you moaned, his other snaking down to join yours on his dick. You let him guide your hand, controlling how hard you squeezed him, how slow you pumped him. Honestly, at this point, you didnât have the concentration for it on your own, not when your legs were starting to shake with every new press of his thigh. You could feel something build, like a wave swelling, the crest just in sight but not quiteâŠ
âThatâs it,â he murmured, and pressed a kiss to your chest. His eyes were dark when he pulled back, watching the way you bounced. âYouâreâŠGod, youâre fucking hot, do you know that?â
His words only drove you further, stoking something within you, and you moaned in response.
âOh, is that what you like?â Minho asked, eyes lighting at his new discovery. His moved the hand on your waist to settle on your breast, squeezing lightly. âMe telling you how good you look?â
âMinho,â you muttered, half-warning, half-longing.
âWith our history, Iâd have thought you liked me mean,â he continued, and you should have wondered where that smart mouth of his had been this whole time.
He leaned in, kissing your neck, following upwards, until he reached your ear.
âBut thatâs not it,â he observed, murmuring into your ear. His hand â the one on yours, the one helping you stroke his dick â quickened, gripping yours just a little tighter, and his breath caught for a second, before continuing. âYou want to hear how good you feel. How good you are.â
You whined, your body faltering for a beat, before picking up again.
âThatâs it, isnât it? You like praise,â he said, so very confident. Knowing, almost, like there was something else to it. Something he recognised, intrinsically. âYou want me to admit howâŠfucking perfect I think you are.â
âMinho.â
You felt him twitch under your hands, felt the way he reacted to the way you breathed his name.
âBecause you are,â he said, the words falling from his lips, as you grew even more frantic. âYou are, you are, youâre good, youâre perfect, youâreâŠfuck, keep going. I can feel how wet you are, youâŠâ
Fuck, fuck, it was too good. Too good and yet not good enough. There were tears in your eyes and your legs burned from how tightly they were clamped around Minhoâs thigh, how desperately youâd ridden him, trying to chase an orgasm you justâŠyou just couldnât quiteâŠ
âMaybe you should fuck me,â you whined, voice hoarse, shaking. Youâd spent the last five minutes essentially edging yourself, your brain was fried, and all you could imagine was how easy it would be for Minho to pull you over just a short distance onto his dick, let it fill you, maybe itâŠ
âDonât. Fuck, donât say that,â Minho gasped, trying and failing to make it sound insistent, final. You could see the effects of your words. He was tempted, he was sorely fucking tempted. You knew he was picturing the exact same thing that you were. âIâm not taking your virginity at a fucking house party. YouâŠâ
He broke off with a moan, letting whatever words that would follow die on his tongue as you squeezed him.
âI needâŠI need more,â you gasped, through gritted teeth. Your body was starting to betray you, your legs starting to give out before you could reach your climax.
You buried your face in his neck, panting.
âI canâtâŠfuck,â you moaned, before one little word fell from your lips, the one word heâd asked for so long ago, out on the balcony, âPlease.â
With a sudden, sharp breath, Minho hooked his arm around you and rolled you over, pressing you into the mattress. Your hand slipped out of his pants as he moved, hurriedly, down your body.
He paused at the apex of your legs, glancing up. âAre you OK withââ
âYes,â you hissed, your hand fisting in his hair and pushing him downwards. You were so close, you were so close, and his thigh wasnât between yours anymore, and you just couldnât⊠âYes, fuck, please.â
You could glimpse the beginnings of a smirk as he followed your hurried pushing, but before you could even register it, you felt him lick one long stripe along you, and your head emptied of all thoughts.
His mouth was hot and wet and almost immediately targeted your clit, leaving you shaking as you ground up into his face without shame, chasing the orgasm that had been just inches away for so fucking long. You could barely breathe from it, each breath wracking your body in almost-sobs, every muscle stiff and coiled in desperation.
You felt Minho hook an arm under your leg, pulling it up so that it could sit on his shoulder, parting you just a little wider.
You arched your back, your head pressing even further into the mattress, eyes squeezing shut. When you spoke, it was barely coherent, a loose string of words. ââŠH-hands, fingersâŠplease, whatever itâŠMinho, Iâm so close, IâmâŠahâŠâ
You felt him slide in a finger â two fingers? More? You didnât know, you didnât care, you just knew how close to the edge you were. Your muscles were locking up, body shaking, even as Minho placed his free hand on the curve of your hip, thumb brushing your skin in small, reassuring strokes.
Your grip in his hair tightened, mind going blank, tears in your eyes as you gasped. âYes, keep â keepâŠkeepââ
You came, and it felt like shattering. Your bodyâs muscles locked, rigid, shaking, as your own moans rang in your ears. At some point, your thighs had clamped around Minhoâs head, your one anchor as you tried to come back down to earth.
It was like every rational thought, anything with even the slightest bit of complexity to it, evaporated. You were left weightless, on your back, dazed. Slowly, sluggishly, your gaze drifted to Minho.
What a sight, you thought. Pretty.
His cheek was pressed into the flesh of your inner thigh, skin flushed so pink, head tilted down so that most of his face was hidden by his rumpled hair. He was kneeling, and you saw that his hand had returned to his dick. It was as if he were trying to be discreet, almost quiet, even as he desperately pumped himself.
Barely even thinking about it, you reached down. His breath caught when you wrapped your own hand around him again, letting him guide your movements once more.
His head lifted, and you caught a glimpse of his dark brown eyes looking up at you. Always so unreadable, even now, even when burning.
Your mouth moved before your thoughts could catch up. âYouâreâŠâ
You didnât know how to finish that. Gorgeous? Annoying? Terrifying?
All of it was true, none of it felt right to say in that moment.
You just watched him, eyes locked, until he choked out a moan, squeezed his eyes shut, and came with a soft, low, âfuck.â
It felt dirty, almost voyeuristic, to watch him cum. But even if you didnât look, you still would have heard him, you still would have felt it on your hands, your thighs. You still would have felt the way he slumped forward, head dropping to your chest, forehead pressed against the valley between your breasts, his quick, deep breaths against your skin.
You still would have felt the way it all fell quiet â until it was just you, Minho, and the impending repercussions of what just happened.
What youâd done.
What had you done?
Your head dropped back against the mattress, looking up at Minhoâs ceiling but not really seeing it, as your senses slowly returned to you.
Shit. Fuck. Every other fucking expletive, they all ran through your head.
What the fuck had youâ
Minho cleared his throat, lifting his head up off of you. You could feel the weight of his gaze on your face, and you tried to school your expression into something neutral, pushing down the storm of thoughts in your mind.
You didnât know why, but you expected him to withdraw from you immediately. Maybe that was doing him a disservice, but it was true.
That was why you were so surprised by the kiss he pressed to your temple, strangely gentle, even as his usual sardonic tone crept back into his voice as he spoke. âLetâs clean up first, overthink later.â
âIâm not overthinking,â you argued immediately, because old habits died hard even in a fucking surreal situation like this.
He didnât laugh, but there was the slightest twitch to the corner of his mouth as he replied. âSure.â
He sat up, and you caught the way he winced, probably in newfound discomfort over the state of hisâŠcurrent attire. While he attempted to strip out of his ruined pants with anything close to dignity, you pushed yourself up to a seated position, trying to look anywhere but him.
What now? What now? It was all well and good for him not to overthink, but you couldnât drive away the sudden flood of consequences that threatened to overwhelm you. Of all times, why did it have to be now, when you were forced to interact with Minho so much more? Youâd have to work with this man for the next few months, fuck, you had to talk at the U.N. with him. What would people say?
What would Felix say?
Something powder-blue and soft entered your field of vision, smelling of detergent and lavender fabric softener. You blinked, looking up to find Minho offering you a towel, and you wondered how long you must have zoned out, wrapped in your own thoughts. There wasnât quite a smile on his face â nothing so extreme like that from Minho â but there was something gentle in his eyes.
You took it, swallowing, and cleaned yourself up as best as you could. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Minho pull on a pair of black sweatpants â and when he straightened up to standing, you finally clocked the blooming purple marks littered across his skin.
âOh, fuck, your neck. Iâm so sorry,â you gasped, mortified at the blooming purple marks on Minho.
He glanced towards you, and gave you half a shrug. âItâs fine.â
They were very much not fine. They were prominent, the kind of hickeys youâd be embarrassed to leave on a long-term partner, let alone aâŠ
AâŠ
Well, whatever Minho was.
You swallowed. âItâs not, have you seen them?â
He paused.
ââŠYes,â Minho replied, firmly, and there was something about his tone that made you stop, that made you stare at him.
He stared back, face perfectly neutral but refusing to look away. The implications were not lost on you, and your face began to warm.
Clearing your throat, you set the towel by your side and reached for your clothes, having to get up to pick up each item along the shameless trail that ran from the bed to the balcony doors, gathering them in your arms in a small, pink pile. âPlease tell me you have your own bathroom.â
Minho laughed a little, nodding towards the door to your right. âWhere do you think I got the towel from? Through there.â
You spent a few minutes in the bathroom, trying to compose yourself, trying to clean up properly, slipping your costume back on. The strange feeling in your stomach didnât ease up, not even once. In the mirror, you looked almost exactly the same as you had when you first stepped into Minhoâs room â but how was that possible, when everything had changed?
Fuck, justâŠyou didnât need to think about it. Deal with it later, deal with all of it later. You just needed to get out and get some space and distance and justâŠ
You drew yourself up as high as you could, squaring your shoulders, and pushed open the bathroom door.
You found Minho standing in the middle of the room, seemingly in mid-step, turning quickly to face you. If you didnât know better, youâd think he wasâŠwhat? Pacing?
âI canât stay,â you stated, trying to sound firm. You mostly succeeded, were it not for the slightest hesitation you had, the faintest strain to your voice.
Minho paused, catching it immediately. ââŠDo you want to?â
You didnât know how to answer that. It felt like a trap, even now, as if Minho was preparing to pull the rug out from under you. You wished you couldnât imagine that level of cruelty, and yet you feared it, however irrational it was. ââŠI donât want people to talk.â
Minho eyed you for a second, and yet again waited before he spoke, like he was trying to choose his words before they left his mouth. He settled for a very simple, very Minho statement. âFuck people.â
At any other time, in any other situation, you would have rolled your eyes. You even felt the urge now, tied up in the same desire to go back to normal, to pretend everything was fine. âItâs not as easy as that.â
âIt is,â Minho argued, but there was no irritation in his voice. Just quiet. âBut I get it.â
âThis was veryâŠuh,â you swallowed. ââŠImpulsive.â
âYes. It was definitely that,â he replied, and was he even capable of being any more cryptic?
You glanced away, finding it difficult to look him in the eye as you admitted, quietly. ââŠBut, uh, good.â
Minho paused. ââŠYep.â
Couldnât he just say what he was fucking thinking? You needed to know, you needed to know if he was on the same page as you, if he was also thinking that it was too weird to just leave things like this. Silent and awkward and justâŠdancing around each other like this.
You swallowed, and folded your arms over your chest. You werenât quite brave enough to look at him again yet, but you spoke up again. âDid youâŠhave a good time too?â
And just when you were expecting another cryptic little non-response, Minho decided to cut straight to the point and catch you off-guard. âI had a great time.â
You blinked, shocked enough that your eyes darted back to him without a second thought. ââŠGood. Thatâs, uhâŠgood.â
It was so strange to see him like this. Lee Minho, always so put-together, never a shred of vulnerability â and there he was, hair mussed, shirtless, barefoot, taking a breath as he tried to put together his next words.
âI had a great time,â he repeated. âWith you. AndâŠâ
He stopped.
âAndâŠ?â You asked.
His mouth opened. Closed. And opened again. ââŠIâŠyou donât have to go.â
You felt something warm unfurl in your chest. âMinho, do you want me to stay?â
ââŠYes.â
You took a step forward, tension melting from your shoulders, replaced with a new curiosity. You couldnât quite believe this was happening, and yetâŠ
Well, you couldnât let him off that easily.
âYes, what?â
He exhaled, making a sound almost akin to a huff. You recognised that sound, you knew it from debating, from arguing, from whenever you caught a weakness in his defence and pressed him on it. âYes, I want you to stay.â
You took another step. âWhy?â
This time, he scoffed, as if it could hide the slow flush of pink making its way up his neck. âYou know why.â
âNo, I donât.â
He narrowed his eyes slightly, and wow, this was fun. âYes, you do. Youâre too smart not to.â
You grinned. âThanks, but no. Youâre going to have to say it.â
âYouâre infuriating.â
âI am,â you said, without shame, and added. âYouâre into that.â
He sighed, and gave in. âYes, I am.â
âWell done,â you laughed, finally drawing it out of him. âYouâre into me.â
Minho eyed you for a second, still just a touch out of reach. Like heâd done it on purpose, kept just enough space to protect himself.
You watched the way he hesitated, and for once, his mask slipped and his face gave away just a peek into what he was thinking. You could see the thoughts warring within his head, the way he hesitated before committing.
ââŠMore than just that,â he said â he confessed â softly.
Just four words, but the meaning behind them was loaded. They hung in the air, obvious, weighty, vivid.
You froze, taking them in. You didnât know why, you didnât know how, but despite everything that had occurred tonight, Minho still had the ability to surprise you.
More than just that.
More than justâŠ
Oh.
That was all your brain â your proudest attribute, your big, university-educated, sharp-witted genius brain â Â was capable of thinking.
Oh.
âSoâŠâ Minho said, before trailing off, watching you, and eventually forcing the smallest of shrugs. âDonât go.â
You were still reeling. You tried to make it all fit, every piece of information you had. The gentleness heâd held you with, the strange softness heâd had, the look in his dark eyes when you threatened to find someone else to kiss, the way he smiled sometimes when you were trying to piss him off, the way he justâŠwatched you in conversations, in arguments, like he was just as interested seeing you think as he was countering the words that came out of your mouth.
When you laid it out like that, when you visualised it like points in a debate â with so many in the for argument and frighteningly little in the against â it seemed so obvious.
âIâŠâ your words came out hoarse, dazed. ââŠYeah, I canâŠnot go.â
Minhoâs eyes searched every inch of you, trying to figure out what exactly you were thinking.
ââŠYou look like youâre about to pass out,â he observed, bluntly.
âYou just said you like me, can you blame me?â You asked, hysteria close to creeping into your voice.
Minho didnât reply for a second, still watching you. âIs it such a surprise?â
âYes,â you blurted out, instinctively, until you took a second to actually think about it. ââŠNo? Yes and no? I donâtâŠyouâre, like, annoyingly hard to read.â
âAm I?â Minho asked, but the corners of his lips were twitching, suggesting he already knew the answer to that. âIâd say the same about you, but honestly, sometimes youâre an open book.â
âReally?â
âYes. Especially when you stare at my mouth.â
Your eyes snapped up back to his, blinking, caught. There was definitely amusement in his gaze now, a glimpse of relief creeping in.
You scowled, face beginning to heat. âYouâre enjoying this.â
He smiled, not a trace of hesitation behind it, a real and genuine smile, and finally stepped towards you. âI absolutely am.â
âAsshoââ
You were cut off, as Minho ducked his head down to kiss you, and you couldnât even pretend to do anything other than respond eagerly.
The next time the two of you got coffee, on another cold autumn morning when you were ten minutes deep into a squabble over geopolitics that you were determined to win, Seungmin had the grace to at least act surprised when Minho bought you a muffin and slipped his arm around your waist.
âWow,â he murmured, deadpan, watching the way you relaxed into Minhoâs side, even as you unpicked every thread of his argument. âGee. Who would have guessed?"
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