CaratLibrary

you pull out your phone from your sling bag and unlock it, your hands opening your contacts, your finger hovering over wonwoo's number. it was late, almost going to be midnight and here you were in the middle of nowhere because your car decided to break down. you wonder whether you should bother wonwoo tonight, having second thoughts, but your finger taps on his contact anyway, dialling his number. you don't think he is going to pick up after a few rings and you move your phone from your ear. that's when you hear the line pick up on the other end, wonwoo's voice floating in your ear.

"yn?", he asks, his voice tinged with a little sleepiness. "i-sorry did i wake you up?", you ask softly, looking down at your feet.

"no, i was up. are you okay?", he asks you, and that question gets you. you bite your lip in an attempt to not cry, feeling overwhelmed all over again.

"wonwoo", you say softly, feeling like an idiot for getting yourself in this situation.

"my love, what's wrong?", his voice comes through, concern laced in his voice and you can hear the sound of some shuffle on the other side.

"can you come get me?", you finally manage to choke out, your voice cracking, betraying your composure. "where are you?", he asks, his tone more alert now.

"i'm kind of stranded", you confess softly, and wonwoo catches onto the tremor in your voice, getting worried. "i don't know where i am, i was just driving and the car broke down", you try to explain softly, a lone tear rolling down your cheek.

"driving? why were you driving so late", he presses, to which you don't respond. you bite your lip in hesitation, unsure whether you want to tell wonwoo the truth or not.

you can hear him sigh softly on the other end before he speaks again. "send me your location and wait in the car, okay. i'm on the way", he says before hanging up.

after sending wonwoo your location, you settled into the quiet of the car, exhaustion weighing heavily upon your eyelids. despite your best efforts to stay awake, you unintentionally dozed off, unaware of the passing time and wonwoo's frantic attempts to reach you, the phone on silent.

in wonwoo's mind, each unanswered call heightens his worry, his imagination conjuring the worst-case scenarios, thinking something might have happened to you. it was unlike you to not respond to his calls. you'd usually reassure him with a quick call or text, but right now you were unreachable and panic ignited in his chest, propelling him to rush towards your location on his bike, each passing moment feeling like an eternity.

he finally reaches your location, finding your car on the side of the road with the blinkers flashing. with wonwoo's heart pounding with every step he takes, he approaches your car, his knuckles knocking against the window, startling you awake.

jumping up at the sudden noise, you blinked groggily, confusion clouding your senses. a figure stood outside, casting a silhouette against the darkness. fear momentarily gripped you until clarity dawned, and you recognised the familiar leather jacket that belonged to wonwoo.

with a shaky exhale, you reached for the door handle. as you stepped out into the cool night air you heard wonwoo say something like "thank god" under his breath as you stepped out.

"are you okay?", he asks, worried, his hair a touseled mess, falling over his forehead and eyes, blowing gently with the breeze. he looks you up and down, looking for any signs of injury.

"i'm okay, i just dozed off", you tell and relief seems to flood in his eyes. "you got me worried there, i called you but you weren't picking up", he says, looking at you, relieved to see you safe and sound.

a gush of wind passes, making you shiver. you cross your arms over your chest to offer some sort of warmth to your body. you stand there in front of wonwoo, avoiding wonwoo's gaze, dreading the question he might ask you about why you were driving out so late in the middle of nowhere. but the question never comes.

"let's go home", he says softly, reassuring in a way, holding out his hand for you to take, making you finally look up at him. you take his hand, walking along with him. he holds your hand gently but there's something comforting about his touch.

that's when you finally spot the bike - wonwoo's sports bike parked on the side of the road, making you turn your head to him.

"it's gonna get cold", he remarks, his voice gentle as he retrieves another jacket from his bike. he holds it out to you and waits patiently as you slip your arms into the sleeves, his touch tender as he settles the jacket over your shoulders. though it was slightly oversized, the garment seemed to embrace you in its warmth, a comforting shield against the biting night air. wonwoo's heart swelled with pride at the sight of you wearing his jacket.

"we're going home on this?", you question, apprehension evident in your voice as wonwoo zips up the jacket around you.

"why? are you scared?" he teases lightly. he knew all too well of your unease with riding on his bike, a fear you had yet to conquer since the beginning of your relationship. the whole thing seemed so intimidating to you, but wonwoo never pushed you to overcome it, understanding you and respecting your space. but tonight, it seemed like you were finally going to face your fear.

"it was the fastest way to get to you", he adds softly, brushing a stray strand of hair away from your face, tucking it behind your ear as your eyes dart around nervously, still grappling with the idea of riding on his bike.

"do you trust me?", he asks, his eyes searching yours for reassurance. you lift your eyes to meet his, and nod slowly. "then let's go home".

wonwoo sits on the bike, manoeuvring it into position. he extends his hand, helping you to get on the bike and take a seat. once you're settled in the seat, you can't help but notice its height and weight, a realisation sinking on what you were about to embark on.

wonwoo hands you the spare helmet he brought along with him, and you accept it, your fingers tracing the smooth surface nervously.

"okay, some ground rules," he began, his gaze turning serious as he turns back to look at you.

"hold onto me no matter what or else you're gonna fall off", he says, his gaze turning amused when he sees the flash of panic in your eyes.

"woah not like that, i mean, it's better to hold onto me you know", he adds, chuckling softly and you make a face, smacking him lightly.

"tap me once to tell me you're comfortable, tap twice if you want me to slow down and tap thrice if you want me to stop or you don't feel okay", he instructs carefully. you nod at his intrusions.

"okay?", he asks again and you nod again.

"words, i need words my love", he prompts and you finally speak, squeaking out a small yes, still scared about being on the bike and the corners of his mouth tug up in a small smile.

you watch as he puts on his big biker gloves before taking the helmet from your hands and placing it on your head, adjusting as needed. he puts on his helmet too and waits. you're confused and hold onto his jacket to brace yourself. he opens the visor on his helmet before speaking.

"love, you gotta hold onto me", he says, startling you for a second. "i-i-am", you stutter out in surprise.

"that's not going to work", he says and wordlessly reaches out his hands to yours, guiding them around his waist and you hold onto him now. "that's much better", he remarks, satisfied before telling you he was going to start, putting down his visor.

the bike starts and wonwoo pushes off, riding in the direction home. and fuck, you had underestimated the speed that you'd be going at. your grip around wonwoo tightens and he smiles to himself. wonwoo's grateful for the helmet because gosh, he was melting under your touch truly. he finds you cute, so so cute and all his.

he still remembers the day he first met you. it was at the convenience store where he found you feeding a few of the stray cats that he usually feeds. he'd just gone in to buy some food for them and when he came out walking around to the back, he saw you. you were crouched down as you handed the cats some food and watched them eat with a tender smile on your face. it's was only a few seconds later that you had finally noticed his presence, standing up in a rush.

seeing the strange man in front of you all of a sudden, you panicked, taking a step back until wonwoo spoke.

"you feed them too?", he inquired, tilting his head to the side with geunine curiosity. he remembers the way you nodded your head shyly and the way you took him in, your gaze lingering at his tattoed arm that was exposed, the sleeves rolled up a bit.

from that moment on, your paths seemed to cross more frequently. wonwoo found himself drawn to your presence, often finding excuses to linger around the convenience store in hopes of encountering you once more. you'd get so nervous and shy every time he'd come around on that big bike of his, wearing that leather jacket that made him look so cool and his hair that had grown into a mullet that was a little long and shaggy and fell over his forehead and eyes, making him look hot, paired with the tattoos that covered his one arm, he looked irresistible. and not to forget his towering height - oh he was hot.

it had been almost six months into dating and you'd still never ridden on his bike before, until now. wonwoo gestures his hand in a thumbs up, asking you if you are okay and you tap his chest once. he smiles, glad, but really, you were scared, hanging onto wonwoo for dear life. you feel his hand gently intertwine in yours to reassure you as he slows down at a signal. you sit up a little straighter now, allowing your grip around his waist to loosen just a little.

he starts up again, accelerating again. you clutch onto him a little tighter than last time, closing your eyes. the rush of speed and nerves overwhelming you. you tap him twice, indicating you want him to slow down a little and he does, slowing down at a manageable speed for you but still going at a steady pace. as the minutes pass, you find the courage to open your eyes, lifting your head to take in your surroundings. to your surprise, you realized that you were in familiar territory—the neighbourhood where wonwoo lived. with his home now just a mere ten minutes away, a sense of relief washed over you, tempered with a newfound sense of accomplishment for conquering your fears, if only for a moment.

the rest of the ride is smooth. once wonwoo reaches his home, he parks the bike, turns off the engine, mountings his legs on the ground. your arms are still around his waist, gripping him tighter than ever because the bike was now leaning towards the left since he'd put it on the stand. you were somehow convinced that you were going to fall off if you didn't hold onto wonwoo. he takes off his helmet and sets it down in front of him on the gas tank.

"you okay love?", he asks when you haven't let go of him yet. "yeah i'm okay", you manage out softly, your voice muffled through the helmet.

you reluctantly take your hands off wonwoo and move your hands up to take off your helmet. wonwoo gets down first, his height and long legs making it easier for him than for you. he takes both helmets, placing them on the small bench in his yard.

as you remained perched on the bike, a hesitation rushed through you, with the sudden reluctance to dismount the bike. gazing down at the ground beneath you, you tried to steady yourself, despite knowing there was no real risk of falling. with a nervous gulp, you raised your eyes to meet wonwoo's, finding him regarding you with a mixture of amusement and curiosity.

wonwoo shakes his head a little, letting out a soft exhale, letting his hair breathe finally. he runs a hand through his dishevelled hair, the strands falling in an adorable mess around his face. he continues to look at you, wondering why you haven't gotten off yet.

"need help?", he prompts. "how am i supposed to-", you trail off, feeling embarrassed. you manage to swing your one leg to the other side and now you're settled in a sideways position, holding onto the bike so you don't slide off entirely. wonwoo walks forward and wordlessly holds onto you, his hands finding your waist to steady you as you peer up at him.

"i'll pick you up, just wrap your legs around my waist," he says calmly, and you furrow your brows for a second before nodding in understanding. wonwoo lifts you up effortlessly and you instinctively encircle your legs around his torso as your arms wrap around his neck for support. his one arm supported you, securely wrapped around your waist as he held you up. the proximity made your heart rate rush and you lean more into him so you don't fall off.

he grabs the bike keys before heading to the door, unlocking the door with ease and walking inside with you, holding onto you securely. you admire wonwoo up close and gosh, he was so handsome and pretty.

wonwoo sets you down on the kitchen island countertop, his hands lingering on your waist for a moment as you look at him. as you meet his eyes, you can't help but notice how your height almost matches his towering height now. he gives you a small but comforting smile before his hands move off your waist. he unzips his jacket, taking it off, only to expose his tattoed arm as he slides the jacket off, making you gasp ever so softly at the sight. you'd seen wonwoo's tattoos plenty of times before, but they never failed to leave you in awe every time you saw them. despite wonwoo's intimidating appearance - for someone who looked cold, badass and was so buff, he was so soft, sweet and gentle. it was a contrast that never failed to captivate you, drawing you closer to the enigma that was wonwoo.

wonwoo's wearing a sleeveless compression shirt and as you look at him, it's slowly turning your brain to mush with the way it was hugging his body perfectly at all the right places, showing off his build and muscles. the way the fabric hugged and accentuated every sculpted muscle of his sent your thoughts spiralling in a whirlwind. you have to tear your eyes away, opting to look at your lap instead, feeling the rush of heat flood your cheeks. wonwoo smirks to himself when he catches you checking him out and stealing glances at him, a little boost to his ego.

he takes off the gloves, placing them on the counter and finally, his attention is back on you. he looks at you, stepping forward so that he was closer, standing between your legs as he lifts your chin up so that you can meet his gaze.

"what's going on?", he asks softly, his hand caressing your cheek as he looks at you sweetly. your eyes dart to the side before returning to his unwavering gaze.

"i-i don't know", you confess as you look at him. "i just needed some space i guess, everything got too much", you tell and his gaze softens as he looks at you.

"next time you want to escape, at least call me, i can take you", he murmurs, his words carrying a sense of reassurance and comfort. you gulp at the closeness and his words as he stares into your soul.

"yeah-okay", you mumbled softly, blinking at him, getting nervous again. the way wonwoo could render you a shy nervous mess in mere seconds was something that needed to be studied.

before you can dwell on your response more , wonwoo closes the gap between you, his lips meeting yours in a tender and gentle kiss. a rush of warmth floods your body and in that moment, everything seems to stop. he pulls away and you hope he can't hear how loud and fast your heart is beating.

you wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him forward as you bury your face in his chest, engulfing him in a hug. wonwoo's arms instantly wrap around your waist, pulling you a little closer to him, letting you bask in his embrace, the comforting weight of his presence grounding you as he hugs you back, burying his face in the crook of your neck. at that moment, amidst the warmth of his embrace, the world seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of you suspended in a moment of quiet intimacy.

bonus: the intrusive thoughts really won here

you riding the bike with wonwoo again, the wind is refreshing as he glides on the roads. after that day, you'd gotten a little more confident and okay with riding on wonwoo's bike. but now, it was like second nature to you. your hands are around wonwoo's waist before you have a little mischievous thought and you smile to yourself. your hands slowly creep up to his chest, your fingers finding the buttons of his shirt as you slowly undo them. wonwoo has no idea what's happening until he glances dow n at the feeling of your hands on his chest, seeing what you are doing.

"what are you doing?", he asks, his voice filling your helmet and you suppress the urge to laugh.

"i'm showing the world how sexy my boyfriend is, though i should be gatekeeping you actually", you tease, undoing another button as wonwoo's shirt now hangs on for dear life. your hands creep up under his shirt and you hear the soft groan he lets out as your hands caress his abs and you grin, satisfied knowing the effect you were having on him.

"oh love, you are so in for it when we get home", he says making you chuckle as you hug him tighter.

taglist: @biboramp3 @naaaaafla @weird-bookworm @icyminghao @kyeomyun @lvlystars @blue-jisungs @wootify @ihrtboo @idubiluv @n4mj00nvq

@joshuaahong @fallingforshua29 @itsveronicaxxx @frankenstein852 @mirxzii @wheeboo @writingmeraki @wqnwoos

here you are, sitting on the toilet, watching your bestfriend apply stain remover on your brand-new white sheets that you had just put on your mattress a few days ago.

you watch the way he checks the sheet with a careful eye, making sure he doesn’t miss a single spot. you watch the way he carefully measures how much detergent he needs to put into the washing machine. you watch the way his eyes turn into crescents as he turns to you and chirps, "all done!”

all you can do in response is grunt while clutching your stomach, resulting in joshua shooting you an sympathetic pout. he walks over to you and helps you up, guiding you to a chair in your bedroom, sitting you down then going off to cover your bare mattress with new sheets.

“you really didn’t have to come,” you say, watching him lift one corner of the bed.

“i wanted to.” he chuckles, tucking the sheet underneath the mattress, “i told you, don’t worry about it."

you let out a guilty sigh, he could be doing anything he wanted on a thursday at 10am, he could’ve just let you handle this all by yourself.

“but i can do this all myself… im not some helpless kid.”

“well, yeah. you can do it by yourself, but, i want to do it for you.” you let out a sigh in response, “is it so bad letting someone help you out for once?” he gives you a small smile, “you’re not gonna kick me out just for wanting to spend time with my best friend, right?”

“i guess i won't.”

throughout the day joshua runs around your apartment making sure your needs were met. from making sure you’ve eaten, making sure the house is clean and making sure your cravings don’t say cravings for too long; even leaving during your haikyuu marathon to go buy you a crookie that you didn’t finish – falling asleep half way through eating it.

joshua crooks his neck to see you passed out on his shoulder, making him smile. he presses a gentle kiss on the top of your head then rests his head on yours.

for joshua, it’s the little things that make him fall for you just a bit more.

thank you for reading until the end!!

a/n. its been… WAY too long ive literally missed writing sm anyways heres a short one. i love writing josh bc hes genuinely the sweetest boy on the planet and hes literally so domestic what the frick

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@aaniag @dkswife @kokoiinuts @nishloves @joshuashna @sofix-hc7 @mekuiikore @onlyyjeonghan @dokyeomkyeom

A cricket chirps into the evening air right after you ask, and you suddenly feeling like you're holding in a long-winded breath. Then you hear a loud crunch by Wonwoo from the crackers he was snacking on, and you blink up to him wiping away the corner of his mouth. There's the slightest glimpse of a curve to his lips that you manage to catch.

He silently offers you a cracker in your direction, the anticipating silence between the two of you growing thickly. You take the cracker from his hand, muttering a quiet thanks, before nibbling on it absentmindedly.

The night is absolutely beautiful right now, swearing that you could spot and make out the constellations above if you squinted hard enough. The distant chirping of crickets is the only sound that breaks the silence as the coolness of the night rolls in, carrying with it slight breeze that whispers through the leaves overhead the balcony of your apartment.

"I have."

You swiftly turn your head to him, eyes widening intriguingly. "You have?"

The chuckle that leaves him is somewhat awkward, a tad bit hesitant. He crumples up the bag of crackers and sets it aside, chugging down the last sips of his drink and setting down the empty can as well.

"Did you... ever confess to them?" You ask, suddenly feeling curious, though there's a bit of disappointment at the tip of your tongue.

You swear you could see the thoughts swirling around his head. Wonwoo keeps his eyes fixed up to the night sky. There's a distant look in his eyes, as though he's peering into some past moment that only he can see, before he shakes his head, a faint smile crossing over his lips.

"No, I didn't," he answers calmly. "They were too far away, so... I just chose to admire them at a distance."

You lean back against the wall behind, your shoulder momentarily brushing against his. "Did they know you?"

Wonwoo purses his lips together. "Mhm."

"Well, you missed your chance!" You exclaim, prodding him playfully with your elbow. "I can't believe you let them get away, dude. Like right through the little cracks of your fingers. You could've been in a relationship by now."

This earns you a low, playful scoff from Wonwoo. "Are you assuming that they loved me back?"

Immediately, you feel the heat crawl up your neck and to the tips your ears.

"Well, um... Yeah, I am," You admit sheepishly, letting out a small sigh. "I mean, who wouldn't fall for a guy like you? You're nice and... charming. I think anyone would be lucky to be loved by you."

There's a silence that falls between the two of you, one simply more than just comfortable yet denser than ever, because the thought of being loved by Wonwoo seems to linger longer than you notice. You steal a glance at him, seeing his face still turned upwards towards the night sky and the moonlight reflecting on his glasses. Strands of his dark hair blow across his forehead in the breeze. You can't quite decipher his expression, but a flicker of something𑁋perhaps surprise, maybe even amusement𑁋dances on his features for a brief moment.

He finally turns back to you, a small, hesitant smile playing on his lips. "You think so?"

"Yeah," You confirm, nodding lightly. "Absolutely."

Wonwoo still keeps his eyes on you as you glance away, seeing the way you fidget with your hands in your lap and smoothing out the creases in your pants nervously. He glances down at his own hand and back at yours, lips pursing together in contemplation, but only folds his fingers back together the second you reach over him to grab the crumpled-up bag of crackers. He feels a little bit too warm in his sweater right now.

"Are you okay?" he asks.

A crunch echoes through the air. Then another. And another.

"I've just been kinda... thinking a lot lately, I guess," You reply slowly, quietly. "And it sort of makes me sound desperate in a way, but there are times I just wonder if, um... if anyone has ever felt the same way about me."

Wonwoo tilts his head slightly. "Love?"

"Not just love, but... seeing me, you know?" Being able to talk about this out loud makes your chest feel heavy. "Since it's hard these days to find someone who sees you for who you are, not for who you can be. I... I just feel like I'm hard to love sometimes. Hell, maybe even unlovable. It’s hard to break out of that mindset when things get hard again.”

A thoughtful quietness seeps through the nighttime breeze, which sends goosebumps up and down your skin, but you don't mind it because you know that Wonwoo is listening either way. And the more you think about it𑁋the thought of knowing that he's here, with his presence is right next to you𑁋it seems to comfort you more than you notice.

There's a small hum of acknowledgement that you hear from his end, unsure if it's just your imagination or if he's actually responding as your mind feels a little jumbled up right now. But then Wonwoo shifts beside you, his arm lightly pressing against yours.

"But I... I think I've reached a point in time where I can say I love myself a little more than a few years ago, or last year, or even just yesterday," You continue to ramble a bit aimlessly, chuckling dryly to yourself. "It’d be nice to share that with someone too, you know? To finally get over this loneliness. But it's not entirely a sad loneliness or a happy one. It's, like, uh... both put together, I guess."

A few moments of silence pass. You feel Wonwoo gently nudge your leg with his.

"I'm proud of you."

You peer up to look at him, mind nearly going blank from the way he's gazing at you. Or maybe it's just the moonlight that's making him appear so... picturesque. "What for?"

"For loving yourself, silly," Wonwoo muses almost cheekily, and the delighted tone that you catch makes your stomach leap. "Even if it's just by a small percentage than yesterday, it's still okay. You're doing good. I want you to know that."

You're doing good. It's just those three singular words that has heat forming in your eyes that you somehow manage to blink back before anything could spill, and hearing it come from Wonwoo feels different. There's a vulnerable sweetness to them, a sincerity that catches you off-guard. You force a smile𑁋a grateful one, nonetheless𑁋before it shifts into a frown.

And Wonwoo catches it right away. "What's wrong?"

Your lips form a thin line, pressing together in thought. You refuse to acknowledge why you think your heart feels slightly... jealous.

"I hope whoever you loved before knows how lucky they are one day," You say to him. "if you're still in love with them, that is..."

Wonwoo stills for a minute, pensively. "I am."

"You are?"

"I never stopped."

You stare at him for a few moments, an eyebrow lifted in disbelief at him, before crossing your arms together and letting out a small, incredulous laugh. "Then you should've said that you're in love with them, idiot."

Wonwoo sucks in a breath.

"I'm in love with you."

You blink instinctively, once, twice, three times, momentarily thinking that Wonwoo's presence might somehow disappear into thin air. But he's still there𑁋a certain softness in the way he's looking at you, a gentleness that seems to wrap around you like a warm embrace𑁋waiting for you. His words suspend heavily in the air, and maybe the world is also holding its breath just as you are too.

"And... You're not hard to love, nor are you unlovable. You're far from that," Wonwoo continues, voice tender, fond, and soft as a lullaby. "You just... need to let me in, and let me show you you're just as worthy of love as anyone else is."

You could only sit merely frozen at this point, throat tightened and jaw dropped in shock among many other weird, fuzzy feelings happening throughout your body. Something between relief and disbelief. Hope and hesitancy. Comfort and uncertainty. You have the capacity to run yet you choose not to𑁋you're letting him in, letting the warmth of his words seep into the cracks of your doubt.

Your mind reels dizzily, almost like the world has been tilting away off-balance.

"You... You're in love with me?" You repeat, almost dumbly, because you cannot seem to fathom anything that's been said in the past few moments. "All that talk about earlier... about who you..."

Wonwoo hangs his head down low, rubbing at his neck in a bashful manner. "It was about you."

"And you never... you never told me?"

"Honestly, I'd like to think a part of it was you being a tad bit oblivious." And then he just simply grins, his nose crinkling along with it. "But that's okay. Watching you slowly figure yourself out made me realise that maybe I needed to find myself a little more too."

You open your mouth to say something, but nothing comes out, and you could feel the heat of embarrassment spreading painfully throughout your face. At first, you have the urge to brush it all away as a silly misunderstanding. Maybe laugh it off, retreat back inside, and go to sleep pretending all of this didn't happen. But the sincerity in his eyes stops you.

You lick your dry lips, the cool night air beginning to feel a lot less suffocating.

"Did you?" You ask vaguely, before shaking your head repeating, "Did you... find yourself?"

Wonwoo lets his eyes roam over you, taking you in, before leaning back on the wall and bringing his gaze back up toward the night sky. Your eyes refuse to leave him, and perhaps this is what it's like to admire someone from afar and close up all at once.

The two of you take a deep, deliberate exhale together.

"Yeah," he answers, smiling softly. "I think I found myself right where I want to be."

It was an undeniable certainty that (y/n) had lived a life of privilege and grandeur. Every whim which passed her by was catered to no matter how fleeting or childish it seemed. She was spoiled beyond belief and recognition, doted upon by everyone around her. Perhaps it was this mindset which had become ingrained into her, that of her every desire and ambition held will be inevitably granted, which landed her in her current predicament.

This aforementioned plight being that she's suddenly found herself stranded in the middle of nowhere. And by nowhere, she quite literally means nowhere.

Surrounded by a dense brush of wood with only an abandoned and empty road which stretched as far as the eye can see, which albeit wasn't very far considering the clouded and snowy atmosphere completely shrouding her vision, only growing more obscure with every passing moment as not only a snowstorm was beginning to form, but also the sun was gradually setting, only casting a faint light to the otherwise dark and dreary white landscape. No street lamps to keep her company, no headlights approaching, and no glow of a nearby town to serve as a beacon for her. She was utterly and hopelessly stranded.

"This is fine, everything is fine," (y/n) muttered lowly to herself, hands still desperately clenching the steering wheel. A cold sheen of perspiration settled over her revealed skin, only further reminding her of the cold now beginning to seep into her taciturn vehicle. With a heavy gulp, she shakily reached for her coat beside her, tugging the thick article onto her body before returning to her otherwise comatose state of utter panic.

This is not fine. Nothing is fine. I'm going to die here.

Her phone's reception had long disappeared at this point, with only a measly 30% battery to greet her as she fleetingly glanced at the screen before turning it off again. It's better to preserve whatever battery she can, especially since the device was nothing less than redundant to her in her current situation.

As the light outside began to drastically dwindle to nothingness, casting her in an unseemly blanket of frigid darkness, her doubts and fears only accumulated, swirling about her until those hopeful yet utterly despairing affirmations from before were nothing more than static—white noise in the terror stricken state of her mind, in the midst of her own personal nightmare. There was absolutely no chance of her surviving the night. With two sweaters, a padded coat, and a blanket draped over her, she could still feel her bones chilling by the second, as if she was wearing nothing at all.

By the time anyone were to realize she was missing, she'd be a cadaver trapped in a freezer of a deathbed. She didn't know what would be more embarrassing, being found in a vehicle clearly unfit for the snowy biome she's found herself in, or the sorry excuse of a navigator she was to have gotten lost using a paper map. She'd argue her case in that the atlas was obsolete in her day and age, but she was beginning to realize perhaps she should've prepared herself more for such a long journey.

To add to the pathetic state she's found herself in, she was in the midst of considering writing her will on the back of said map when a sudden jarring series of thuds startled her from her stupor, a yelp slipping out of (y/n) as she whipped her head to the driver's window beside her.

That initial yelp of surprise had quickly morphed into a full blown horrific screech torn from her throat. Vision shaky and blurred, whether from the tears that had accumulated at a moment's notice or the sudden surge of adrenaline coursing through her veins, she unwillingly stared ahead, now face to face with the presence of a colossal silhouette, hunched over and peering right at her.

Her entirety crumbled, heart seemingly abandoning her as she felt this cold emptiness flood her being. The once frigid and unforgiving air had long disappeared, and she felt herself suffocating under the weight of it all, under the gaze of the shadowed monstrosity lurking just beyond the glass barrier. And yet even with this stifling atmosphere, her lungs persisted, screaming as if hoping, praying, for a savior. For some reprieve from this hellscape she's stumbled into.

Through the haze of fear blinding (y/n), she initially hadn't taken notice of the terror radiating from the creature as well, jumping back the moment her muffled hollering reached his ears. And as soon as he had processed the situation, he had quickly gone about dispelling it.

It took (y/n) a moment herself to register what was happening, as the thing outside suddenly ripped off his hoodie and scarf, revealing the face of a young man, gazing at her with unadulterated concern. And even as she came to terms with the fact that the intruder was nothing more than a simple guy, she still remained as is, pressed as far back as she could be from the window, center console digging into her ribs as she attempted to quell the stabbing ache of exhaustion and terror ebbing away slowly but surely.

Through her lack of response, remaining as unresponsive as her car, the man found himself opening the car door, crouching in the snow to get a better look at the girl.

"Are you alright?" He asked aloud, keeping his voice as steady as he could given the deafening sound of the winds beginning to pick up. He didn't want to startle the girl any more than she already has, but the situation was starting to become dire. "You've gotta get going. If you leave now, you'll probably make it into town before the storm hits."

Silence. Nothing more than her heavy breathing as she stared straight ahead aimlessly.

(y/n) could see the man take a glance around her car, though nothing seemed to penetrate the muddled state of her head now as the adrenaline dissipated. That exhaustion from before was becoming unbearable, the tension of her body melting away alongside her consciousness.

Vaguely, she could feel herself being moved. She could feel the sting of snowflakes briefly gliding across her skin, the shakiness of her legs sinking into the blanket of snow beneath her, the sound of her car door being closed behind her. Relapses of memory showcasing scenes of her walking through the woods, accompanied by the man beside her ushering her through the labyrinth of trees. And by the time she had finally come to, she found herself seated on a cushioned chair, the large back and armrests completely encasing her. Blankets draped across her back, as did a new woolen sweater, far too large for her. A fireplace sat to her left, its warmth foreign yet welcoming, and to her right sat the man from before, once more crouched on the floor as he watched her.

"Are you with me, kid?" He asked, head tilting as his eyes narrowed in question. Silently, (y/n) nodded, shifting under his perceptive gaze. Her eyes traveled down to her hands, a warm cup resting between her palms, steam traipsing upwards and dispelling in the air. Hesitantly, she brought it up to her nose, sighing gratefully at the warmth it offered her slowly thawing face. "It's tea. Earl Grey." His chin jutted towards the cup, umber eyes returning to hers. "Drink some. You need to warm up."

It probably wasn't her best move to immediately abide by this stranger's words, but she was also on a streak of misfortune and bad decisions, so what does it matter if she drinks this potentially laced drink? Yet as she took her first sip, she was only greeted by the man's wholly genuine words. It was truly Earl Grey, the creamy taste of milk gratefully warming her sore throat, and the sugar added only served to settle her nerves some.

As she placed the drink down again, she glanced back to the man staring expectantly at her, as if awaiting some response.

"Thank you… It's really good," she whispered, tone strangled some through the coarseness of her voice. Yet this did not perturb the man in the slightest, only inciting a mirthful smirk, a mischievous glint in his eyes as she spoke.

"So you can talk," he replied, backing away from where he had been crouched to settle onto the rug behind him. "I was afraid I picked up a stray banshee or something."

"I thought you were Bigfoot…" (y/n) muttered as a pitiful defense, quickly retreating back to the tea in her hands as boisterous laughter filled the room.

"Bigfoot? Kid, even Bigfoot wouldn't be wandering around in a snowstorm like this." At the mention of the storm, (y/n) dared a glance at the window across the room, shut tight with a flannel curtain shrouding it, yet through the cracks alone, she could see the near violent flurry of white whizzing by. The winds were enough to rattle the seemingly sturdy pane, a shudder akin to the one currently running down her spine at the mere thought of potentially having been lost out there.

Upon the realization, she was growing increasingly more grateful to the man before her, leant against the adjacent couch as he stretched his limbs out across the floor. In the ambient glow of the fire and the comfort of the rustic scenery, (y/n) couldn't help but to briefly admire said savior. Tousled black locks, perhaps a bit outgrown and unruly yet still seemly. Strong features meeting soft ones—round almond eyes with a sharp edge, chiseled jaw smoothed and rounded like a marble statue, a sloped nose adorned with a birthmark at the tip, an overall impressive visage.

Even past the smile growing fainter by the second and the charming characteristics of the man, (y/n) could see he had an air of maturity to him. Eyes that have experienced the best of life and the worst, darkened with the burden of knowledge he's accumulated through his years. He was strong, that much was evident, from the imposing frame hidden beneath the worn material of his sweater, though also simply from how he manages to carry himself with such a tired expression.

Soon came the inevitable return to neutrality, and with a sigh, coincided by a long and contemplative stare into the flames, he spoke once more.

"You seem rattled. Better than you were before, but still shaken up." She remained silent, gripping the mug of tea in her hands as if it were a lifeline. As if it would magically transport her away from the circumstance she's barred in. She was rattled. She was shaken. She was also scared beyond belief, worried for what was to happen to her. So many thoughts swirling in her head that she couldn't possibly pinpoint one thing and elaborate on it. Though the man, ever the saint he was, seemed to grasp this with just a single glance her way. "I'm not going to hurt you. If I wanted you dead, I'd have left you out there in the cold." (y/n) didn't really know how to respond to this in general, though her sentiment seemed to carry through as the man continued. "You can stay here for the night. There's a spare room prepared, as well as extra clothes–"

"No!" (y/n) softly interjected, leaning forward in her seat. Though her voice was weak and tired, it had thrown the man off for a second, brows furrowed in confusion as she hesitantly sat back in her seat. It was difficult to meet his eyes, far too observant for her comfort. Even as her gaze traced the intricate stitch work of the rug beneath them, she could still feel that penetrative stare of his probing her, already attempting to work out what could have possibly encouraged her first outburst since entering this cabin. "I… I really shouldn't. I need to head out. I can just wait out the storm in my car. Then head over to the nearest town to get help."

It was silent as she finished wording her plan of attack, however vague and unconvincing as it was, with only the accompaniment of a crackling fire to fill the silent atmosphere. Her hands twitched along the hot ceramic surface of the mug, nervously tapping the pads of her fingers along the sides as she awaited his response.

Eventually, after a moment of deliberation on his part, he had shifted once more from his comfortable position, returning to the crouched form he had taken when she had first come to. He tilted his head to meet her gaze, a wry grin tugging at the corners of his lips.

"What's your name, kid?" He asked, voice low and cautious, as if approaching a wounded animal.

(y/n) must've looked something like one after everything which had transpired thus far. Though she couldn't deny how approachable and kindhearted he seemed, giving her enough space to breathe though still attempting to reach out as much as he could without startling her off. He was resourceful, clever, yet still held that human charm of helpfulness.

So it came as no shock when she silently muttered her name to him, eyes retreating to the cream liquid of her drink.

"(y/n)," he repeated, allowing the syllables to roll from his tongue, familiarizing himself with the sound of the name. "I'm Mingyu."

"Mingyu…" She almost immediately copied him, saying his name aloud to grow accustomed to it as he did hers. And as she did so, he offered a warm and inviting smile.

"(y/n), you know as well as I do why you shouldn't go back out there." Once again, he was right. Though she didn't want to admit it. She didn't want to accept defeat so quickly. But of course, he could see the resilience in her eyes. With a tired sigh, he continued on. "If you were to leave now, you'd be lucky to have made it to your car. Your car is about… 150 feet away from the cabin right now. I've known people who have died from less of a trek in storms smaller than this."

She shrunk back with each of his words, curling into herself as best as she could, wishing to just disappear from it all.

"If you did make it to your car through some miracle, you'd be met with a metal freezer whose only difference between it and the outside is the lack of snow. That is if you can even open your car door with all the snow piling outside as we speak." He softly grasped the mug in her hand, as if somehow knowing she didn't want to hold it anymore, allowing her to curl into herself even more, wrapping the oversized sweater around her body. "If you did survive the walk to your car and the night in it, you'll be met with a 5-mile walk to the nearest town through temperatures just a few degrees warmer than right now, and snow that is not bound to have melted at this point. Again, I've known people to die walking in conditions like this."

This was probably the nail in the coffin for her, staving off the onslaught of frustrated tears threatening to slip by as he finished his analysis of sorts regarding her game plan and its flaws. And as ever perceptive as he was, Mingyu ceased speaking, watching as she toiled with herself, mind in turmoil from her ever escalating plight. Though aside from the clear agitation which came with the situation her reckless and hasty decisions have brought upon her, another clear source of her distress came with the fact that what Mingyu said was entirely true and realistic. Something with which deep down she had already come to terms with, yet adamantly refused in her foolhardy, youthful mien. Those frustrated tears were from being in a situation with only one solution she did not want to accept, but had to.

"There's a spare bedroom. You can shower and change into dry clothes. I'll see if I can check out your car tomorrow." Mingyu watched carefully as (y/n) frowned to herself, brows tense and eyes determinedly glaring at the intricate knitwork of the blanket on her lap. With a careful touch, he placed his hand above the fabric resting over her shin, drawing her eyes back to him. "Okay?"

Another beat of silence and a timid glance to the window, as if hoping, praying for the snow to let up even a minute fraction, though to no avail, (y/n) hesitantly nodded, finally agreeing to his words.

She allowed Mingyu to guide her through his cabin, down a hall to the very end where the bathroom resided.

It was quaint, bearing only the necessities of a bathroom. A tub, a curtain ring shrouding it from above, a shower head attached to the wall. Beside it was the toilet, and next to that was the sink. On the opposing wall was a towel rack, and there was little to no decor or personal motifs anywhere. Just barren walls, the shade of sandy beaches, with wooden floors like the rest of the abode.

Mingyu worded instructions to her, explaining the shower mechanics regarding the skewed hot and cold functions, briefly leaving her alone and returning with towels and clothes.

"And when you're done, you can just leave your clothes here. I'll wash them later for you." He completed his speech and turned to her once more. Silence fell upon the two as they stared awkwardly at one another, both unsure of what to do next, though Mingyu was the first to move, mumbling a brief farewell as he slipped out of the small bathroom, leaving her to do what she must.

Upon being alone once more, (y/n) began her journey of processing. Though sufficiently warmed at this point, her limbs felt numb, as if having an out-of-body experience. As if she herself was not presently in her person. Looking into the mirror furthered that alien feeling which plagued her mind.

Hair tousled by the impending snow and wind, eyes reddened and puffy, swamped by this woolen sweater that was quite possibly thrice her size. She looked like a kicked puppy, and was honestly quite surprised that Mingyu looked at her with not even a hint of pity—merely taking her in out of the kindness of his heart.

She didn't know for how long she remained in that shower, allowing the hot water to wash her troubles away. Perhaps her tears allowed themselves to slip by, though she'd be none the wiser, warm streams incessantly cascading down unto her as she drowned out her worries.

As of right now, she was safe. And like Mingyu said, if he wanted her dead, he'd have left her out there in the snowstorm. She's away from the cold, Mingyu will check her car when the snow slows down, and she'll be on her merry way.

She gathered what little will remained in her depleted form and finished washing herself, dispelling the remnants of chill which had once lingered in her before stepping out of the shower. She grimaced feeling the hard wood beneath her feet, though persevered in drying off and changing into the clothes.

As opposed to the sweater from before, which she assumed belonged to Mingyu himself, the clothes she wore seemed more fitting to her now, albeit a little big, though nothing to complain about. Another wool sweater, intricate cable knitting seamlessly woven into an articulate pattern, paired with worn flannel pants.

She took another moment to herself, stamping out any remaining nerves buzzing about in her, before slipping out of the bathroom. The hallway was dark with only the main portion of the cabin to light her way like a beacon, though even through the shroud of black encasing her, she could tell the walls of the hall were just as devoid of life as the bathroom was. She quietly padded her way down the corridor, eyes slowly scanning for any frames on the wall or decorative items she could use to pin down his character, though was met with nothing. Nothing but the low humming of a voice, carried throughout the house and guiding her directly to the kitchen.

Once again, quaint seemed to best fit the area. Weathered cabinets and counters lined two adjacent walls. On one end was a fridge, and nestled between two counters was that of an antique stove and oven. Mingyu occupied himself there, humming a nonsensical tune while stirring something in a pot. He hadn't acknowledged (y/n)'s presence until he reached over for something and was only able to see her figure in the corner of his eye, causing him to whirl around and fully face her. Fear riddled his eyes for a moment before he sighed out of relief.

"You need to wear a bell or something," He spoke, pressing a hand to his heart as he turned back to his cooking.

"Did you think Bigfoot snuck into your cabin?" (y/n) joked, smiling to herself when Mingyu tossed her a glare over his shoulder.

"I have high hopes that I'd have been able to hear Bigfoot approaching." With a humored huff, he gestured over to the table against the wall. "Take a seat. I'm almost done."

Abiding by his instruction, she slipped into one of the two available seats, curiously watching him move about like a seasoned Michelin chef in his element. Even with the light atmosphere from their casual exchange, there was still an understandable weight in her chest. Seated in a foreign environment with a stranger wielding a knife in her presence, albeit to chop vegetables, though still with the potential to turn it on her at a moment's notice.

Perhaps it was her bad decisions still choosing to muck about her life some more, but in her eyes, it was undeniable how harmless Mingyu seemed. From how carefully he stirred at whatever stew he was brewing, continued his low hum to fill the emptiness of the room, to even the apron he had carefully tied around himself. He seemed… mundane. Nothing particularly unorthodox or concerning in his otherwise average persona. Merely the embodiment of a gentle giant.

"Here, eat up. You must be hungry." He slid a bowl of soup in front of her before taking the seat opposite with his own serving. She hadn't realized how hungry she truly was until the scent of his cooking hit her nose, and she began silently eating. The warmth of the broth soothed her insides, settling itself cozily in her like a remedy to the grueling night she's had thus far. And while the bitter winds beat against the seemingly impenetrable cabin, she couldn't help but smile in the warmth, comfort, and food given to her all by Mingyu.

"Thank you…" (y/n) spoke, placing her spoon down momentarily. Her eyes were hesitant in meeting his, though when she did look up to him, there was a mixture of surprise and another, more alien expression imbibed in his gaze. He had blinked it away, returning to his soup with a gruff noise emitting from his throat, as if acknowledging her statement though not wanting to make anything of it. Her mind had settled, however in the midst of eating, and with the floodgates now opened, the only solution was to let her emotions run their course. "I mean it. Like you said, I'd probably be dead out there by now if it weren't for you." He was silent, opting to continue his meal, though (y/n) took no offense to it, also going for her spoon once more, smile still on her face. "And thank you for the soup. It's very tasty."

The rest of dinner was quiet, but a surprisingly comfortable silence. (y/n) could feel her defenses crumbling with every passing moment, and while the logical part of her brain screamed for some, or quite literally any, form of precaution when being trapped in a strange lumberman's cabin in the woods with no reception and no means of escape, she couldn't seem to find any hostility in Mingyu's demeanor, and thus no immediate call for reinforcements in the form of paranoia.

There was something strangely sweet in eating a home cooked meal served by a colossal hermit who avoided looking at her, and she enjoyed the brief dinner encounter between the two.

"Thank you again for the meal, Mingyu," (y/n) spoke as the two walked down the hall to their respective rooms, after having finished their supper and packed away leftovers. And just as before, Mingyu responded with an affirmative grunt, eyes downcast and avoiding her once more.

"You should get some rest," Mingyu finally responded, head gesturing to the door opposite his own. "You've had a long day. Your clothes should be dry by tomorrow. You can change after breakfast."

And with that, he slipped away into his room, a soft click as his door shut behind him. (y/n) was left staring for another moment more, curiosity far too piqued regarding Mingyu's sudden closed off manner, though chose to dwell on the matter in the comfort of her temporary lodgings.

The room was rustic, much like the rest of her current accommodation, as well as devoid of any personal adornments again. It was equipped with the necessities, that being a large bed, an armoire and a dresser, a mirror, and a large armchair nestled into the corner. The bedframe was broad and sturdy, a simple design made of a dark wood, with multiple layers of comforter and blankets stacked upon each other. It felt as if she were unearthing a deep treasure just to reach the mattress, though the accumulation of sheets was a welcomed sight as the stagnant air proved much too chilly for comfort.

The sheets were stiff and the room held a delicate mustiness to it, reminiscent of time suspended and undisturbed. Though there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere her eyes landed, there was a hint of its familiar scent, that subtle earthy undertone derived from nature reclaiming its space through the lack of human presence. The wood of the bed frame was aged, creaking as she climbed into its embrace, the vessel further moaning from lack of use as she settled in for the night.

The circumstances of her chambers only further heightened her curiosity with Mingyu. What was a man like him doing out here in this state? The cabin held no sort of personality. No picture frames bearing his depiction, no knick knacks to start conversation, not even the decrepit and horrifying deer head she'd have imagined would hang over the mantle of the fire. Her clothes were large, though nowhere near as large as Mingyu is, and so it only strikes the question of whose wardrobe is she currently wearing?

Though many of her questions also revolved around Mingyu himself. He seemed kind, bringing in a random stranger in distress without any further thought, as well as making sure she's as comfortable as he could possibly manage. He seemed resourceful, as well as intelligent in many ways. Someone who could evaluate situations at hand, supposedly work on a car himself, and even cook one of the most delicious soups she'd ever have the pleasure of eating.

He was also undeniably attractive. Older with worn out and tired features, as if having experienced life in the most tumultuous of ways, though also strong with this twinkle in his eyes, like a child just dying to be released and enjoy what few pleasures life has to offer. His smile from before remained in her thoughts, the charming way his eyes crinkled and the crease of his laugh lines following its familiar yet unused folds along the planes of his face. It was saddening to see that momentary spark of happiness seem to dissolve during dinner, though it only encouraged more of her prying thoughts as to what caused such a dramatic shift in him.

Perhaps he had reconsidered the events of tonight and regretted having taken her in? Maybe the regret hit him as he dusted this room or cooked the extra serving of soup. Perhaps he was merely tired. Maybe he had as strenuous a day as she did. Or perhaps her unwanted presence had left him perturbed in the most disquieting of ways. Maybe she had without realizing uncovered something he had wanted buried away for good.

The morning came sooner rather than later, (y/n) finding herself far too entrenched in the warmth and comfort granted by the large bed. Though unused as previously concluded, the blankets were a welcoming weight upon her exhausted form, and the pillows seemed to embrace her in their plush hold. So getting up felt like more of a chore than anything else, but she felt obligated to rise upon hearing Mingyu's door opening from outside her own.

Upon shuffling out of her room, she could see Mingyu moseying about in his own routine, starting a fire in the fireplace, folding her clothes and stacking them on his couch, beginning breakfast for the two of them, all whilst not even acknowledging her watching from afar. She was still attempting to quell the tiredness from her eyes, leant against the corner of the wall as she emerged from the hallway.

To her right was the kitchen, where the sound of sizzling filled the otherwise still atmosphere. Mingyu stood at the forefront of the stove once more, broad back shielding her from getting a glimpse at whatever concoction he was conjuring up today. Though if the stew from yesterday served as any indication to his track record, she knew she would be looking forward to breakfast as well.

To her left was a large, empty space. There stood a second door to the outside, its windows unveiling a winter wonderland of sorts of an entirely white landscape, though aside from such a picturesque sight, the corner of the cabin offered nothing more.

Redirecting her attention to Mingyu again, she approached him, much like the day before, on light feet and hidden from his peripheral, grinning to herself once more as she deemed herself close enough. Closer than yesterday, to warrant more of a response from the estranged man before her.

He seemed in his own world, low voice humming another silly tune to fill the void. She imagined it's habitual from living on his own for so long. To fill the emptiness by any means he can, even as the pan sizzles an accompaniment to his song. And once more, she's left wondering, ever so curious why such a capable man like Mingyu was left a recluse in the middle of nowhere.

"Jesus," Mingyu hisses out as he catches her in the corner of his eye, flinching back and banging his leg against the stove with a harsh thud and an accompanying groan. This snapped (y/n) out of her potential stupor, instead prompting a laugh out of her as she took her seat by the table. "A bell, please!"

"Where's the fun in that?" Mingyu grumbled at her response, returning to cooking with a furrow in his brows. (y/n) couldn't help but hum appreciatively at his annoyed expression, a welcoming reaction to her early shenanigans, and a nice start to a hopefully equally nice day. "Good morning, Mingyu."

"Morning." He replied curtly, turning from his stove with two plates of food, plopping one unceremoniously down in front of her before taking his seat across. Even with his cranky demeanor, though it felt anything but genuine, (y/n) grinned, thanking him once more for the food as they ate silently again.

Her eyes wandered for the umpteenth time. Whether it was to get a better grasp of the place, memorize it before she leaves it, or to still try and decipher why it was so empty, she hadn't any idea. Though perhaps it was a combination of all three. Because by the end of the day, she'd be off and back in her route, and Mingyu will presumably remain doing whatever it is he does in such an empty shell of a home—if it could even be called one.

"So do you like… rent this place or something?" (y/n) found herself speaking her thoughts aloud, glancing around the walls once more before landing on a slightly bewildered Mingyu, cheeks puffed with food. Though his surprise dissipated rather quickly, eyes now narrowed in a suspicious stare, clearly not trusting the apparent jester he had invited into his home. (y/n) snickered with a roll of her eyes. "What? I just feel entitled to ask. I should know a little about the guy I'm currently staying with, yeah?"

Mingyu chewed for a moment more, swallowing and already going for another scoop of food.

"No." His answer was abrupt and firm, as if an end to the conversation. Or at least the end to the conversation for anyone that wasn't her.

"So you live here?" Mingyu quirked a brow at the obvious answer to the question, but still confirmed either way with his signature grumble. (y/n) scanned the place again with an uncommitted hum, hearing what he was saying, though in astonishment at the response.

"What? Shocking to see a homeowner these days?" Mingyu chimed, watching (y/n) as she gazed about aimlessly.

"Not what I meant," she chuckled out, fork briefly picking at her food as she revisited her thoughts. "It's just… it doesn't feel like a home, I guess."

The conversation died at that point. Neither a response from Mingyu on the matter or a redirecting of the topic. She went back to eating, and from her peripheral, she could see a deliberating Mingyu staring at her. He froze in his seat, stiff as a statue whilst seemingly so deep in thought it was impossible to break his concentration. Though eventually, it seemed he snapped out of it, also returning to his meal without so much as another grumble. To others, it would seem as if he chose to ignore her statement, but she was beginning to read Mingyu just as well as he read her.

He knew what she was getting at—he just didn't want to address it.

It was enough of a revelation for (y/n) to realize there was more to unravel in this supposed mystery of Mingyu's life, though she opted not to pry. What would be the benefit of becoming invested in a story she'd inevitably have to leave? To stir up unwarranted trouble only to depart midway through, leaving behind a man forced to rebury whatever trauma he had wanted to remain hidden away. And though her curiosity was entirely piqued, she refrained from saying anything more, silently retreating to her room after breakfast to change back into her clothes so they could brave the storm's aftermath outside.

Mingyu had looked at her with a critical eye as she emerged forth adorning her yesterday's attire. Sneakers, leggings, and a long padded coat that brushed along her knees. Of course beneath the coat were more layers, including her sweaters she'd worn the night before to stave off the cold, as well as the sweater she had received yesterday, which she could only assume was Mingyu's. Though even with her puffed appearance, limbs stiff from the amount of items obstructing her movement, Mingyu grunted in disapproval, disappearing momentarily down the hall.

He emerged seconds later, a pair of jeans and boots in his possession. (y/n) flinched as he dropped the boots before her with a loud thud, and handed her the pants with a furrow to his brow.

"You're not leaving the house wearing that." He dismissively staggered off elsewhere without another word, and (y/n) was left watching his retreating form.

It was interesting, she thought. How many shades of Mingyu she had come across in less than a day. At first, he seemed rather talkative, playful jabs at her intuition, careful attempts at approaching her, all calculated and friendly in his mannerisms. Though progressively, he's resorted to a more quiet demeanor, communicating through mere grunts and curt statements, as if distancing himself before he even had the chance of getting closer to her.

Perhaps it was for the best. Better to leave with a curious mind than with a sated yet attached soul. Though her curiosity was ever so persistent in its quest to discover the truth, she'd have to accept whatever assumptions she could make from the context clues she's picked up so far. That there's truly a man of Mingyu's caliber alone in the woods with nothing and no one.

And as she tugged on the allotted jeans, she also came to the conclusion that there must have once been a woman living here before, as the jeans, albeit large, fit to her figure surprisingly well. The boots as well, not necessarily pertaining to her own stature, gave the insinuation of once belonging to a larger woman.

As (y/n) stood there momentarily deliberating what this could insinuate, Mingyu reappeared, silently assessing her from where he resided. She met his gaze, watching as a muted conflict toiled in his eyes, though was buried away when he approached her, crouching to tuck the pants into her boots.

"This'll do for now," he responded lowly, rising to his full height once more. He pulled aside the flannel curtain, analyzing the outside conditions before tugging open the door, stepping out and allowing her to get a good view of the outside for the first time.

It was astonishing, to say the least. White as far as the eye can see, which wasn't necessarily much, as the dense brush of pine trees cut off what resided beyond the small clearing in front of Mingyu's cabin. The earth was completely encased by snow, sparing not even a blade of grass to tarnish the homogeneity of the monochrome landscape; not even the pine needles could be seen, tasked with the burden of carrying piles of snow in its embrace.

It felt almost sacrilegious to step into the thick blanket below, feet sinking into the plush ground with a satisfying crunch. The cold had instantly penetrated whatever skin it could seek, seeping into her body and chilling her bones from within. Mingyu walked ahead effortlessly, leaving her to catch up, clumsily plodding through the snow like a newborn fawn.

To her, it all looked the same. Trees stretching up to the grayed skies, bobbing and weaving between the narrow passages they offered. At times, she had to glance back just to verify that her footsteps were being marked by the terrain beneath her, just to ensure she had a way to return without getting lost. Yet Mingyu seemed wholly unbothered by the ordeal, expertly navigating through the thicket as if it were marked roads; the trained eyes of a lumberjack, she supposed.

Eventually, they emerged from the woods, and she sighed in relief upon seeing her helpless car still resting along the side of the buried road. The vehicle itself had been near covered in snow, and she grimaced imagining having slept there for the night. (y/n) watched as Mingyu approached the front of the car, brushing off the snow before propping open the hood.

As he got to work analyzing her car, she absentmindedly approached the driver's side, tugging open the door, still unlocked from her ordeal the night before, and taking a seat on the cold leather of the chair. It felt somewhat surreal to be sitting there once more, in the potential metal coffin had she not been swept away by Mingyu. Her sorry excuse of a map crumpled in the passenger seat, empty snack bags tossed haphazardly through her journey, her phone still helplessly tossed aside. It was low on battery, though still alive, with no reception at all. Still, it felt comforting for her to hold it again, ever reliant on the device in her day and age.

"So where were you headed?" Mingyu asked aloud from where he was leant into her vehicle, startling (y/n) for a second with the low timbre of his voice. She stood from her seat, ambling over to Mingyu in the same clunky manner as before.

"Huh?" She finally managed to get out as she neared, still attempting to process the question through her muddled mind. There was a hint of a smile tugging at Mingyu's lips before he dared a glance at (y/n).

"Aren't I entitled to ask the girl living in my home what her life story is?" The response had her pursing her lips, attempting to hold back the laugh which threatened to bubble out of her, but she refused to give him the satisfaction. Though the clear delight written across her face upon hearing his remark was enough to have Mingyu grinning victoriously to himself, returning to the car's plight.

"Can't believe I'm living with a mechanic and a comedian. What a package deal." Mingyu rolled his eyes at this, though remained silent as she continued on. "I was heading to a resort where my parents were expecting me." He hummed in response, prompting her to continue even as his eyes remained glued to his work. (y/n) found herself scratching the back of her head in embarrassment, knowing what was to come, though also realizing there was nothing more she could possibly do to prevent the inevitable. "And my flight was canceled so…"

Mingyu paused, slowly turning to face her with a skeptical look across his face.

"Your flight was canceled?" She nodded at his question, eyes darting to and fro though never landing on him.

"Yeah… Due to bad weather…"

There was a beat of silence between the two, quiet enough to possibly hear a pin drop had it not been for the winter winds brushing past the duo. Though in a moment's notice, loud and rowdy laughter burst forth from Mingyu, filling the air with raucous glee emanating from the stoic giant himself. He had turned away from the car, leant forward with his hands on his knees and his back facing (y/n), continuing to just laugh his heart out.

Still feeling the remnants of humiliation from before, (y/n) couldn't help but to also smile at Mingyu's glee, something she had almost forgotten not only existed but had happened just the day before. She was now realizing his smiles were few and far—something which would have to be treasured on these rare occurrences in which they did fleetingly occur.

"So you thought you could brave the storm on your own?" Mingyu asked as he turned back to her, face reddened from his momentary fit of laughter. (y/n) bit her lips, hesitantly nodding at his inquiry. Another amused huff out of him, and Mingyu was returning to the car as if nothing had happened, shutting the hood with a loud shutter. "Kid, you are something else, I'll give you that."

He had begun to walk off, and (y/n) quickly snagged her duffel bag from the backseat before rushing back to him in a panic, dragging her feet through the dense snow obstructing their way lest she lose her guide with his persistently long strides.

"So what's wrong with my car?" (y/n) asked shakily, managing to catch up with Mingyu's pace, though barely being able to maintain such endurance.

"Battery."

"Battery?"

"I think your battery died."

"My battery died?"

"Probably."

(y/n) furrowed her brows in thought, breaths labored as she began to finally slow down and lag behind, allowing him to walk ahead.

"Why would it die? Do I need to charge it?"

Mingyu was silent for a moment as he persisted through the snow, just long enough of a delay for her to acknowledge the lapse in discourse.

"It happens sometimes in the cold. Usually when the car is inactive, but I guess with the cold and your long trip, it overexerted your battery."

"What do we do?"

"I know a mechanic in town. I'll talk to him about checking it out and verifying. If it can be jump started, then we're good. If not, you'll probably need a new battery."

"I can get a new battery?"

"Kid–" Mingyu suddenly stopped in both his speech and his route, sighing to himself as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He turned to look at (y/n), standing there huffing in exhaustion with her bag practically dragging behind her weak form. Sympathetically, he approached, taking the strap into his hands and gently pulling it from her grasp, haphazardly tossing it over his own shoulders. Another look at her, and Mingyu sighed in defeat. "Yes, you can change batteries."

"How do you know my battery is dead?" He had begun walking again, knowing her questions would be spitfiring at this point and at this point just wanting to get inside as soon as possible.

"I don't, but from context clues alone, it seems to be the problem."

"Have you changed a battery before?"

"Yes."

"How hard is it?"

"Easier than changing a tire for me."

"How hard is that?"

By now, they'd made it to the clearing outside his cabin, a mere few feet from the sanctity of the house, but he was forced to stop once more, rooted in his place and staring at (y/n) with an incredulous and almost worried look in his eyes. (y/n) was none the wiser, watching Mingyu with large curious eyes, awaiting his answer as if having asked the most normal of questions humanly possible. As if having not admitted how entirely unprepared she was for whatever heroic trek she had stumbled into thoughtlessly.

"You've never changed a tire before?" Again, as casually as ever, she shook her head no, staring at Mingyu as his face contorted from that initial shock of the moment to something akin to pity. Not necessarily directed towards her; perhaps, instead, to her situation as a whole.

He took a deep breath as he finally stepped into his cabin, not really knowing how long he'd stood there staring in awe, though immediately marched his way over to her room, tossing the duffel bag unceremoniously onto the bed and awaiting for its owner to arrive. Once she did, Mingyu gestured towards the bag.

"Show me what you packed." (y/n) was left stunned in her place, gloved hands nervously picking at the zipper of her coat, as if waiting for Mingyu to either elaborate or just dismiss his statement as a joke. Though he continued to stand there as resolute as ever.

There was this hardened look in his, complementing his equally stone-like bearing as he stood there, towering above her with his arms crossed and a permanent scowl etched into his features. Even with his imposing figure, (y/n) could sense no hostility in his mannerisms, the man as docile as he seemingly always is. That fact hadn't deterred her nerves from flaring beneath her many layers, prickling with anxiety as to what he could possibly be insinuating.

"What I… packed?" (y/n) softly asked, glancing to the pathetic cream colored bag lying defenselessly across the bed. Mingyu hummed in confirmation, taking a step back and granting her space to do as he said.

With not much choice, nor any real reason not to follow his bidding, she warily approached the bag. The deafening zip of its seal sounded through the otherwise still room, and she began to slowly unpack the contents within. Somehow, she felt even more embarrassed now than when she admitted moments ago that she willingly drove into a snowstorm. And Mingyu's silence didn't help the matter at all.

The man simply hovered behind her, staring down at the arrangement of clothes scattered across the bed. (y/n) remained where she was, allowing Mingyu to stretch his arm past her to retrieve one of the many sweaters piled together. He rubbed the material between his thumb and index, scrutinizing the fabric for everything it's worth, and he proceeded to do the same procedure on her pants as well.

"You were going to a resort?" He asked, deep voice shattering the tense atmosphere.

"Yes." Her voice was soft, barely above a breath; a compete contrast to the assertive tone of Mingyu's. He stepped away, sparing one last glance at her wardrobe before turning around and leaving the room.

"We'll have to buy you better sweaters," he announced as he wandered off, once more leaving (y/n) to quickly scurry after him. "And better pajamas. The jeans are fine. Maybe some long underwear to go along with it."

"What's wrong with my clothes?" She asked, bounding out the door after Mingyu, grimacing as the harsh winds beat against her exposed face once more.

"Won't keep you warm."

The statement was, much like everything else he's said thus far, blunt. Uttered with that same serious, unwavering tone of his. Not even spoken directly to her face as he walked off, but she couldn't help but pause. Standing there in the snow, staring ahead as Mingyu made his way to the large truck off to the side of the clearing. At this point, she knew Mingyu. It's been perhaps a few hours altogether that they've been in each other's company, but she's confident in saying she knew him. She knew how he spoke. She knew how he conducted himself. She knew how closed off he was.

She knew that simple statement was perhaps the kindest thing he could've possibly stated.

It had already been a given that beneath that cold, rough exterior of his which he seemed to tirelessly preserve every second he could, he was a kind and gentle soul, but it just touched her heart to see that tender side of his emanating through the cracks of his facade.

"Let's go, kid." His voice, projecting across the clearing to where she had remained motionless for who knows how long, suddenly jostled her back to reality, shaking away the delirium to see Mingyu standing, passenger door open. He gestured with a nod of his head to the seat. "We're heading into town."

Picturesque.

It was the first word to come to mind as they drove into town. An idyllic little settlement in the middle of presumably nowhere. A plethora of mom-and-pop shops greeted her as they drove down main street, family owned businesses with their own quaint peculiarities; a welcoming difference from the ubiquitous monotony of modern architecture in the city. Instead, everything here felt outdated, away from the all-encompassing grasp of capitalism that condemned everything to that trademark minimalistic existence that encapsulates society for mere marketing purposes.

In a word, refreshing.

Even with the piles of snow scattered about and pushed aside, people were seen walking down the sidewalks and walkways, popping in and out of shops and mingling with one another. Another rarity for someone who has lived in the city all her life, accustomed to the avoidance tactics I trained in her so she wouldn't have to make eye contact with people. She admired the idealistic scene presented here, head pressed against the cool glass of the window, watching the sights pass her by like a vintage film reel.

"Does everyone live in the woods like you?" (y/n) asked, smiling at the sight of a man walking his little white dog. Another moment of silence from Mingyu, as if deep in thought, considering what to say, always calculating ways to give her just enough information to sate her, yet never giving too much away.

"No," he answered. "They all live together in town. Everyone knows each other. Everyone is each other's neighbor."

"That's cool," (y/n) responded, peeling herself from the glass to look at Mingyu. He was impassive, merely staring straight ahead, left arm propped against the door with his head resting on his fist whilst gripping the steering wheel with his right. He spared her not even a glance, already knowing her inquisitive self just as she knows him. She gazed out the window another time, this time seeing an elderly man helping his wife down the steps of a storefront, bringing a bittersweet smile to (y/n)'s face. "To have that sense of community with people. Hanging out with loved ones, saying hello to people who pass by… Never having to be alone."

"Yeah."

She didn't comment this time. No snide remarks or a random spree of questions. Not even another probing glance at Mingyu. Because this time, unlike their other conversations thus far, there was a consensus. A silent accord between the two of them. A yearning that neither wanted to address. A commonality shrouded by mysterious, untold backgrounds of the both of them. And something which may never resurface before she's off and away from this place, bidding Mingyu and whatever story he holds deep within his heart farewell for good.

Why did it hurt so much to think about that already?

Mingyu pulled over to the side of the road, unbuckling and stepping out, prompting (y/n) to follow suit and trail behind Mingyu.

'Jeon Mechanics' is what the faded blue sign read. Much like the other storefronts of the town, this one was nestled between two other establishments on either side, not really sparing room for a garage of sorts that (y/n) would usually associate mechanics with.

Walking into the place, she was bombarded by the thick stench of rubber and oil as it lingered heavily in the air, causing her to grimace some before gradually adjusting to the scent. Mingyu seemed unbothered as he approached the back of the store. Each and every aisle was barren, devoid of any life, and (y/n) would've believed the place to be closed had it not been for the rapid knocking that drew her to Mingyu once more.

Emerging from a closed office, an equally tall man appeared. Crudely cut and choppy hair that somehow, with its generally messy ensemble, worked well for his sharp and attractive features. Upon seeing Mingyu, the man smiled, pushing his wire framed glasses further up his nose as a smile spread across his face.

"Mingyu," he spoke fondly, reaching out to hug the man. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? It's been ages since I last saw you."

Mingyu briefly reciprocated the hug with a warm smile of his own, though still faint. Hesitant, almost. The hug was quick and ended abruptly, characteristic of Mingyu's persona, though the man seemed none the wiser to his friend's mannerisms. By the time the man's eyes met (y/n)’s, Mingyu had begun speaking.

"This is (y/n)." Mingyu briefly gestured towards the girl behind him. "Her car broke down. I think it's a battery issue. Do you think you could drive down to the cabin when you have the time and check it out?"

The man merely stared at (y/n), eyes slightly widened, as if startled by her appearance that he hadn't noticed prior. She could see him attempting to mask that surprise, returning his gaze to Mingyu with a nod.

"Yeah, I can check it out. But if you think it's a battery issue, I'm just going to assume it's a battery issue." He briefly replied, voice wavering some, though Mingyu didn't seem to notice, or at least didn't seem to care as he turned back to (y/n).

"Go to the general store down the road. It should be a few shops away. Ask Martha for sweaters and pajamas."

(y/n) nodded, bidding the mechanic adieu, who was still staring at her with this perturbed expression across his face. It was unsettling, as if he'd seen an alien, and it only had her mind spiraling as she left his store. She briefly, albeit humorously, explored the popular concept of those tucked away towns in movies, tight knit communities that conspire with one another to conceal murders in their morbid ritualistic tendencies, taking tourists so no one can trace it back to them. And looking around at all the smiling faces, this place seemed to have the potential to be that unhinged.

But the silly idea had washed away the moment she walked into the general store—quite literally titled 'General Store.'

"Good morning," a chipper voice greeted (y/n) as she walked in, her entry accompanied by a bell chiming above her head. An elderly woman came circling the cash register, making her way towards her. She had kind eyes with an equally kind smile, face marred with wrinkles from a life well lived. Grayed and wiry hair neatly curled along her shoulders, pink pins holding it in place, matching with the pink earrings dangling from her ears. She had briefly looked over (y/n), a simple once over to the unfamiliar stranger, and her smile seemed to grow even warmer. "Oh, are you visiting?"

"Yes, for now at least," (y/n) responded, grinning back to the woman, all prior frivolous thoughts of abduction and ritualistic sacrifice now buried away as she returned to reality. "My… guide told me to buy sweaters and pajamas here? Would that be alright?"

"Of course!" The woman placed a gentle hand on (y/n)'s back, ushering her further down one of the aisles to a corner of clothing. It wasn't a necessarily large assortment of clothes given the rather small and crammed building, though it was a staggering amount considering how this seemed to be the only nook of the store which housed these items. "These are our winter clothes, so anything from here should be good for you."

"I'm sorry to bother you again," (y/n) quickly sputtered out before the woman could hobble off. "I'm not sure what he really wants from me. He says he wants me to be warm… Could you give me recommendations?"

"Certainly, dear!" She returned to (y/n)'s side thumbing through the selection carefully, pulling out sweaters upon sweaters and handing them to (y/n). "Seems like a nice man you've got there."

"Yes, he really is." There wasn't much she knew of Mingyu, that much was for certain. There were many things she still questioned about him, and perhaps will forever question. He was closed off and forever distant. He was rough around the edges, terse in his mannerisms, and overall a conflicting character to try and unravel. But one thing was for certain, an undeniable facet of Mingyu that seemed to transcend his many other layers, and that was that he was perhaps the most gentle soul she'd ever met, or perhaps will ever meet. A kindness that remained shrouded by his other characteristics, though still managed to claw its way out of the darkness that plagued Mingyu's entity.

Even as she paid for the clothes, she couldn't help but to silently hope this pleased him. It seemed Mingyu constantly gave, yet never received. There wasn't much she could offer. Merely the fact that she took his advice and did well in following it.

"Thank you for your help today!" (y/n) smiled as she lifted the hefty bags of her new outfits. The woman giggled, waving off (y/n)'s gratitude.

"I should be thanking you!" She insisted. "I'll sleep well tonight knowing I had the pleasure of dressing such a lovely lady."

(y/n) left the store smiling, bidding Martha farewell and once more facing the unforgiving cold of the outside. Ahead of her on the side of the road was Mingyu, leant against his truck, staring off into space. His features were tensed, his jaw clenched and his brows stitched together. What in the world could have happened to a man like Mingyu? What has he endured to be this reclusive? The question ate away at her. She had no right to invade his life. He invited her in out of the kindness of his heart, and all she's done thus far is psychoanalyze him and question his entire existence.

"I said a few new sweaters, not a whole new wardrobe." Mingyu's voice called out to her, drawing her back to reality as he drew closer.

"I'll have you know this was all very important. Martha wanted to dress me up as much as I wanted to be dressed up." Mingyu took the bags out of her hands, effortlessly lifting them and making his way back to his truck. "Plus, I love a good shopping trip." He snorted at her addition, rolling his eyes as he opened her door for her.

"Alright, get in." She could feel his hand resting on her back as she heaved herself into the truck, its staggering height an incessant obstacle of hers that now even Mingyu has taken it upon himself to ensure she doesn't all but fall and die. Once he was sure she was in her seat and secure, he closed the door, making his way around the front to his side.

Martha stood at the entrance of the store, watching the two with this soft, fond smile on her face. Mingyu had raised a hand her way, greeting her as she greeted him back. Her eyes lingered on them, even after Mingyu had climbed in and drove off, and (y/n) briefly wondered why. Perhaps it was a special occasion to see Mingyu in town and she wanted to savor the moment for as long as she could before he'd disappear in the woods again. At least that's all she could assume of the matter.

"Wonwoo has some appointments today," Mingyu spoke, breaking the silence within the vehicle as he drove down the long stretch back to the cabin. "He said he'll try to come over after work. Is that alright with you?"

"Of course," (y/n) insisted, turning away from the immutable scenery of forest and to the man staring ahead, that rigid, stoic expression plastered to his face once more. "I wouldn't want to disrupt his day. I can wait." It was quiet again with only the sounds of the low hum of white noise from the car driving. Again, (y/n) checked Mingyu's face, still unchanging. "As long as that's okay with you."

"Why would it matter to me?" He asked, voice low and muffled as he absentmindedly rubbed at his bottom lip with his free arm, propped up against the door once more.

"I'm sort of living in your house," (y/n) laughed out. "I don't want to burden you with my presence any longer if that's not what you want." His fingers had stopped, merely resting over his mouth when she finished her words. "I also value your opinion. You seem to know your stuff. I feel like if you told me to just go and build my own cabin, I'd probably find myself trying to do so just because you told me to."

Mingyu didn't respond this time. Not even with one of his noncommittal, absentminded grunts. Though (y/n) just chalked it up to the fact that they were now close to the cabin. There was a driveway of sorts, she noticed. A narrow path cleared of trees that you turn into from the main road, and it leads right to the clearing outside the house. How long had Mingyu been out here to have prepared all of this? To have actually created his own little road of sorts, made all of these accommodations for the sole purpose of removing himself from any sort of community? It was undeniably impressive, a true display of his undeniable will and perseverance, though also maddeningly concerning. How absolutely isolated Mingyu had forced himself to become.

"Go inside," Mingyu finally spoke, stopping the vehicle in its designated corner by the trees. His voice had startled her some, with its low rumble disturbing her thoughts and prompting her to look to him. "I'll carry your stuff in."

She didn't protest with him. On any other occasion, she'd probably argue, perhaps for the responsibility of at least one bag, but with one gander at Mingyu, it became obvious any sort of quarrel would be futile. The distant glaze in his eyes as he methodically turned off the truck and unbuckled his seatbelt, the lack of any glance towards her as if wary she'd press him more than she already has since meeting. He had closed himself off again.

With a final inhale, (y/n) followed his demand, slipping out from her seat and onto the snow with a muted crunch beneath her feet as she landed. Awkwardly trudging through the dense terrain, the atmosphere seemed deafeningly silent. There was the familiar sound of wind weaving between the tall pines, as well as that of the snow succumbing to the weight of her every step, and even distantly she could make out what seemed to sound like a rushing river.

Though there was no trace of Mingyu leaving. No sound of his heavy foot descending into the snow, nor the sound of his door slamming shut behind him. When the realization had come to her, she briefly glanced over at the truck, yet there was no sign of Mingyu getting her bags from the back as he had stated he'd do.

Once atop the front porch, she utilized the vantage point granted to check on him, only to see through the darkened rear window Mingyu's silhouette, still and unchanging as he sat there gripping his steering wheel. He stared ahead, only offering her an image of the back of his head, and (y/n) was left to speculate what could possibly be going on in it.

She didn't know for how long she stood there, arms wrapped around a wooden pillar of the cabin's porch, but she couldn't find it in herself to leave him behind. The sun had nearly reached its peak in the sky by the time Mingyu finally shifted, leaning his head back against his seat.

What could she have possibly said to trigger such a comatose state out of him? Her words were so insignificant to her that she had trouble even recounting what their conversation was about before he had gone silent. Though the lack of recollection didn't stop her from feeling immensely guilty. Perhaps she had offended him in some way without realizing. She didn't know his life, and so she couldn't avoid topics that could potentially trigger him.

The space between them had never felt more cavernous, and the only thought in her mind was how Mingyu was truly nothing more than a stranger to her. That connection with him that she'd seemed to conjure up in her mind over the past day was nothing more than a fanciful delusion. Perhaps a mechanism of her psyche to make her situation however comfortable it could possibly be. At the end of the day, however, Mingyu was just a kind man who had taken her into his home, and she was greatly overstaying her welcome and pushing more boundaries than should be tampered with.

The sound of the truck door opening drew her attention back to the truck, and she quietly watched as Mingyu gathered her shopping bags with ease, expression as blank as ever. His features were tense, a pinch in his brow that prompted an urge within her to rid his countenance of the tension, and his mouth was in a perpetual frown. Though when he turned to make his way to the cabin, his features dissipated when he came face to face with her. Albeit still a ways away.

"I thought I told you to head inside," he called forth, continuing his journey towards her, trekking through the snow without an ounce of struggle.

"I didn't hear you coming out of your truck." It was a simple response, as simple as she could make it without any form of personal opinion, though apparently not vague enough to go past Mingyu's radar. He glanced at her as he climbed the steps, but quickly walked by as he made his way inside.

"Come in. You'll catch a cold."

Mingyu had for the most part retreated to his room, opting to hide away for the remaining hours of the day and only briefly emerging to prepare lunch for the two of them. With the incident of earlier, though remaining unspoken between the two, had also encouraged (y/n) to follow suit in Mingyu's ways, choosing to remain within the sanctity of her own room, hesitant to wander the cabin—Mingyu's personal space— without his consent. Instead, she busied herself with folding her new clothes, checking for any reception, even meditating when the boredom truly hit.

The day passed by quickly, however, even with the strange atmosphere they'd created. Even going to the bathroom felt forbidden, lest she come across Mingyu, who she could only assume wanted to avoid her at all costs as well. And with the sun beginning to set, her hopes for Wonwoo repairing the car increased tenfold. Hopes that he'd arrive with the good news and she'd have a perfectly functional car once more.

A knock came soon after the sky had melted into this warm orange hue, the sunset hidden behind the sea of trees she resided in. A surge of excitement ran through her at the sound, and she all but leapt off the bed in a matter of seconds, ready to yank open the door and greet the mechanic once more, only to stop short at her own door once the implication of Wonwoo's presence truly settled in her head.

Sure, she'd have her car again, perhaps better than ever. She'd be able to finally meet with her parents as they had insisted, and she'd return to her normal day to day. Things would revert back to the way they've always been.

But also, with Wonwoo outside, it would also mean she'd really be leaving Mingyu today, and with no other reason to stay or return.

She'd leave with only the memory of his existence fresh in her mind, though inevitable to soon dissipate from her thoughts with time, as does the waning faculty of memory so often ensures. And when that time comes, what's there to be done? It felt terrifying to even consider. To perhaps one day forget everything of Mingyu.

It felt almost her obligation to be the sole holder of these memories of Mingyu, because if not her, then who? He was nestled away in the recesses of isolation, with only a distant town filled with people who each lived their own lives, and perhaps couldn't spare the sacrifice of remembering the desolate hermit within the woods.

The thought brought about a stern tension in her features, clenching her fists as she stared down at the grains of wood beneath her feet.

Mingyu saved her. He took her in. He went out of his way to ensure she could be safe during her stay and be able to proceed with her fixed car. Mingyu was brutish and curt, quiet and reserved. He preferred his own company to others, and at times his rough mannerisms can seem almost condescending in a way. But he was also inherently gentle. A kind soul within a foreboding vessel. Someone who would give his all for others and expect nothing back in return.

It was damn near unfair to be in such a situation as hers. To have to abide by the natural state of things, that being her approaching departure from Mingyu's care. It would be pure insanity to act the way her heart was at that moment, practically throwing a tantrum within her chest, physically revolting against touching the doorknob and leading her to Wonwoo. It had been less than 24 hours, but she couldn't deny that here in Mingyu's barren and somewhat haunting cabin in the middle of nowhere, she felt more on vacation than any other excursion she'd been on. It was a sense of comfort unheard of in her time. Perhaps she'd be satisfied with merely exchanging contact information with Mingyu, that way she'd always remain somewhat present in his life and he in hers, but knowing him, he'd refuse, or just outright ignore each and every one of her attempts at reaching out.

Damn it, she didn't want to go.

She could hear Mingyu's door across the way open, prompting her to hold her breath as she pressed the side of her head against the door. His socked feet padded through the house, footsteps loud and sluggish as they approached the front door.

"Hey," Wonwoo's voice spoke first as the door opened.

"Hey." Mingyu's response was terse, somehow managing to make a single syllable, one that even Wonwoo had just used, sound absolutely cold and brusque. "How's the car?"

"I actually wanted to talk to you guys about that." The response was not promising in the slightest, and (y/n) felt a drop in her stomach momentarily. But still, she persisted, waiting with bated breath for what was to come. "May I come in?"

There was a pregnant pause, and (y/n) could only imagine what was going on out there. Wonwoo's question felt odd, underlying intent laced in his words, though one (y/n) couldn't necessarily pinpoint—only identifying the lost yet hopeful lilt in his voice as he had spoken. Mingyu's silence was deafening. Not even the winds outside could salvage the tension rising in the air.

Briefly, she recalled earlier that day, standing outside and waiting for Mingyu to come to his senses again. How helpless she felt just watching him spiral down a dark rabbit hole from which she'd perhaps never bear witness to it. Failing in saving him as he had saved her.

The thought was enough to prompt (y/n) into tugging open her door, rushing out as casually as she could to attempt to salvage whatever was happening outside.

There stood both men, at first staring each other down. Mingyu's back was to her, though just from his stature, she could tell he was stiffened up, as if like a wild animal spooked by a noise nearby. Wonwoo, on the other hand, did not take that presumed predatory role of any sorts. In fact, he looked just as defenseless and startled as Mingyu, a worried gleam in his eyes that only ceased when acknowledging (y/n)'s presence.

"(y/n), right?" Wonwoo spoke again, his words briefly cracking as he called out to her. Mingyu didn't glance her way. He just remained as is, standing there, looking ahead at Wonwoo.

"Yes, that's me!" (y/n) sidled up beside Mingyu, absentmindedly ducking beneath his arm against the frame of the doorway. Clasping her hands together, she brought them up to her chin, looking at Wonwoo with that same forlorning hope still stirring within her. "How's my baby?"

Wonwoo chuckled some, but shook his head as he did so.

"It's like Mingyu said. Battery." (y/n) groaned at this, burying her face in her hands. "Batteries and cold weather don't exactly get along."

"So I've heard." She tossed a glance at Mingyu, but immediately turned back to Wonwoo. "What do we do?"

"Well, I can order you a new one. From the looks of it, your battery is a good five years old or so? It was about time it got a change."

"Five years?" Mingyu finally spoke, his voice filled with disbelief as he gaped at (y/n). "Five years, (y/n)?"

"Yes, Mingyu, five years." With a roll of her eyes, she returned to her conversation with Wonwoo, who seemed briefly taken aback by Mingyu speaking again after having gone mute just minutes before. "Go on."

"Right." Wonwoo snapped himself out of whatever daze he'd fallen into, clearing his throat as he resumed his diagnosis. "I can order a new one when I get back into town. For your make and model, we're looking at a battery maybe… $180, $190, give or take. Plus shipping here, it could range up to a good $200."

"That's fine." (y/n) waved dismissively. "What else?"

Wonwoo glanced back momentarily at Mingyu, hesitant to speak, though doing so anyway.

"Shipping here could take up to a week or two."

That was definitely news to her. A week or two. Nearly half a month. That's almost 4% of her entire year. Perhaps she was exaggerating with the scales of time she used to render this information, but still, it was quite definitely a shock, and one that she had not prepared herself for when she had stepped out of her room.

Just moments prior, thoughts of abandoning Mingyu haunted her. The threat of losing him somehow agonizing in her mind. Yet now, she was granted more time. As if a blessing from above. An answer to her worries. She was allotted another chance to further embrace the presence of this peculiarity she's found herself stumbling headfirst into.

This muted excitement bubbled within her, an emotion she could only describe as giddy now consuming her being from within. She was on the precipice of losing it, to affirm Wonwoo’s notions and celebrate the circumstances presented before her. The storm that both canceled her flight and trapped her right in front of Mingyu’s cabin, her absentminded nature in never having changed her battery since she first got this car, even her parents for scheduling this vacation out of the blue with no warning whatsoever for her. All of it has inevitably led to this moment where she can continue to infiltrate this man's livelihood and turn his whole world topsy turvy, though that thought was what finally grounded her back to reality.

She blinked at Wonwoo, pursing her lips together in anticipation before slowly turning to meet Mingyu's eyes. As expected, he'd zoned out once more, staring ahead blankly, as if not having a single thought in his head. Or perhaps his thoughts were far too cumbersome to even assort through them, leaving him in that common state of absent mindedness he so often sinks into. Either way, Mingyu was withdrawn for perhaps the umpteenth time since she first met him the day prior, all the while she was so very desperately present in the moment.

Looking up at him felt as if time had begun to slow, an infinitesimal pause as she began to rifle through the emotions that seemed to run rampant with Wonwoo’s words. Upon first impressions, it seemed ever clear how enthused she was to spend more time in this little isolated world. So different from what she's accustomed to, and at times maddeningly still and uneventful. Mingyu served as an infinitely interesting character in which she could spend a lifetime dissecting his every thought and whim and still have more to analyze. And as bland as it all seemed at first, this haven he's created for himself felt so unbearably quaint and comforting, like the warmth of a bed calling you back to its embrace on a chilly morning, begging you to abandon your responsibilities in lieu of a cozy slumber. It was undeniable how attached she had become to this place in a matter of hours, perhaps out of mere curiosity, or perhaps out of something more. A desperation for something different in a life with little to no variation from what she's grown used to.

Yet upon further inspection, it seemed her emotions, once deceptively simple and perhaps overstated, were in fact still deeply muddled with conflicting thoughts and second guessing. Beneath it all lay the cold reality of it all. That a week or two was no laughing matter. It not only impacted her own schedule, but it also greatly impeded upon Mingyu, ever the generous host. Taking a step back to view the situation from a different perspective, it honestly bewildered her how absolutely blindsided she had been to have almost immediately leapt straight into this without any further thought on the matter. As if viewing Mingyu merely as a social experiment. A lab rat for her to study to her heart's content, continuing to poke and prod at the careful tension he had hidden away until she finally pushes him beyond his limit, destroying the harmony he had worked tirelessly to preserve in his tumultuous life, merely for her own satisfaction in having dug up what should've remained buried away in the recesses of Mingyu’s life. Now with the prospect of remaining for a few days more, although initially exactly what she wanted, now felt more burdensome than anything else, reminding her of what exactly she was to Mingyu. A stranger he brought in out of the kindness of his heart.

“I suppose I have no other choice, right?” She found herself saying aloud, quickly turning back to Wonwoo to distract him from the stiffened Mingyu beside her. If Wonwoo had noticed anything, he didn't mention it, nodding along to (y/n)’s words with a small grin.

“I’ll swing by again tomorrow when I get confirmation about the purchase.” Wonwoo spared another glance to Mingyu, though the man remained as is, still seemingly processing the news related to him. With nothing else to do, (y/n) softly nudged Mingyu back into the house and away from the doorframe, bidding a retreating Wonwoo farewell before closing the door.

Silence penetrated the cabin once more. A low fire crackled away in the living room, and the incessant white noise of wind against the wooden walls surrounded them, yet the silence remained as prevalent as can be. The longer Mingyu remained frozen, the more dread seemed to seep into (y/n)’s bones. This deep, unnerving guilt that clenched at her being, rooted her in her place. She felt more unwelcomed now than she had initially believed herself to be when he first brought her here. That speech of his that once settled her nerves and rationalized her thoughts, his kind words regarding how he brought her in to his abode for the purpose of saving her life, now seemed to be nothing more than a recitation of some sort, meaningless in its existence and a mere formality with little to no intention in its presentation. She felt out of place, alien to an environment she was slowly becoming accustomed to before having that illusion forcibly ripped away from her.

Mingyu just stood there, as did she. He stood there with that blank expression, the one that was near impossible to read, and her thoughts spiraled the longer they remained this way. Memories of him sitting in his truck for God knows how long, deep in contemplation merely because of some words she said to him. And the guilt only seemed to increase by the minute.

It was strange, this very moment in time in which (y/n) was faced with these circumstances at hand. Strange in the sense that this was perhaps the first time she ever had to properly reflect upon herself and her actions.

Recounting the events which had led up to the present she resides in now, she looked back up on her initial insistence to do something on her own for the first time, and how miserably that unraveled to the point that she could've very well died in the frigid and unforgiving winter outside. Then the moment Mingyu had held out his hand to her, offering her support in her time of need. It seemed that the determination which once plagued her mind to a blinding and careless degree seemed to dissipate, once more succumbing to the treatment she had grown so accustomed to in her lifetime. Being catered to, getting everything she ever wanted, never truly working for what she gets because why should she? She'll get it at the end of the day no matter what.

Though now none of that applied. Mingyu was not some accomodation she could merely exploit and be done with once she's off and on her own once more. The fact that he had gone out of his way to help her at such a dire time, and for her only repayment thus far having been to embroil him in a myriad of psychological meltdowns against his own volition, it began to really settle in. The reality that awaited her all this time. The fact that she may be exactly that: a burden.

Mingyu had slowly shuffled over to the living room, sitting on the couch and staring into the fire, leaving (y/n) rooted in her position right alongside the entryway, mouth agape and eyes become glassier by the second as these thoughts that slowly accumulated in her head began to drown her in their breadth. The silence hasn't helped any, the sheer unacknowledgement on Mingyu’s part seemingly stabbing a gaping wound into her heart that she had never once felt before. A wholly new experience she was not prepared for. And suddenly, that determination that once filled her just the day prior came back with a vengeance, and she found herself rushing back to the guest room, tossing in whatever item of hers she could spot lying about before zipping up and slugging the duffel bag onto her shoulders.

To be completely honest, she wasn't sure what it was that had suddenly hit her. This emotion inside her wasn't light and fun like it had felt when she ventured out to drive to the ski resort. Instead, it was heavy, like a gaping pit deep in her stomach. This uncomfortable churning that twisted her guts into knots and shook her to her core. Every step felt agonizing, as if the walls around her were not that of a home or even a retreat, but like a cell closing in upon her until she was on the brink of collapse, until her lungs cried for fresh air. She needed to get out of here. She needed to forget all of this ever happened.

Stepping back into the main living area, Mingyu hadn't moved an inch. He sat there on that old couch, staring at the fireplace, so deep in contemplation that he hadn't even noticed (y/n) standing but a few feet away, bag in hand.

She took the moment to collect herself, hands digging into the straps of her luggage in a way to ground herself. Carefully, her eyes traced over Mingyu once more, taking in the enigma of a man once more before she'd most likely never see him again. The furrow of his brow when he's lost in thought, bringing tension to his face in every sense of the word from his pursed lips to his clenched jaw to the way his eyes narrow into an unintentional glare. She cemented into her memory the slope of his nose and where that birthmark was nestled just beneath the tip of it. She wished she could see his smile once more. That wolfish grin accompanied by the most jubilant laughter she ever heard. His sharp canines that always made an appearance, bringing this youthful quirk that she found undeniably charming. A kind and handsome gentleman with a history to never be unraveled. That's who Mingyu was. That's the man who lives here in the middle of nowhere. The man who saved her life and showed her just a glimpse of the reality she had isolated herself from. In such a short amount of time, this character managed to sway her in ways she had never considered, and now she had to say her farewells.

“Thank you so much for everything,” (y/n) began, her voice as steady as she could muster given how she was quite literally on the brink of utter collapse. “I can never truly pay you back for everything you've given me. I'm very appreciative of your hospitality.” Nothing seemed to stir the man. He hadn't even once shifted to acknowledge her talking, not even a glance her way. Gulping, she continued on, forcing her eyes to remain on him, to take in as much as him as she could in the moment. “I hope… life is more forgiving for you.”

With that, she quickly turned around, shuffling over to the front door dejectedly. That is until a sudden procession of heavy footsteps greeted her, growing near and louder in their sequence until they came to a sudden and abrupt halt.

A large hand slammed down on the front door before her, startling (y/n) and causing her to jump back, only to bump into the large and imposing body now settled behind her.

“Where are you going?” His voice was low, more intimidating than she had ever heard him. No matter how much teasing she threw his way, he had never once sounded this irate. Though now it seemed shed finally gotten him to crack his resolve in some manner of the word, albeit not in the way she had initially wanted from him.

“I'm sorry?” She muttered, eyes shakily trained on the front door where his hand remained, caging her into this corner between the entrance and himself.

“Where are you going?” This time, it sounded more so a demand than anything else. A domineering intonation, one she could only compare to that of a drill sergeant of sorts in how cold it seemed.

“I don't know.”

“What?”

“I don't know!” Perhaps she had taken the drill sergeant analysis too literally, voice now louder and clearer as if practicing her projection capabilities. Mingyu remained quiet for just a moment more before he continued.

“You don't know.”

“No!”

“Do you have a death wish?”

Before (y/n) could question him any further, the hand once blocking the door slid down until it landed upon the doorknob, twisting it and yanking the door open. Though just ajar, (y/n) could see a plethora of snow whirling into the cabin, eager to penetrate the warmth of the house. The sound of winds picked up, no longer muffled from their position inside. Though perhaps the most concerning aspect of it all, (y/n) could see the way Mingyu had to use force on the door to keep it open to this precise degree, no more no less, fighting against the winds outside all to prove a point to her.

“Oh, Jesus fucking Christ,” she pressed herself against Mingyu, as far back as she could get from the snowstorm waging outside. And once Mingyu could see how rattled she had gotten at just that momentary glimpse of the outside, he slammed the door shut again, silencing the barrage of wind once more.

It was quiet between the two at first, (y/n) still reeling from the terror outside, thoughts circulating on how she could've not only been unaware of the conditions outside, but also of how she would've been able to even set foot outside had she tried. Mingyu merely backed away, marching back into the center living area of the cabin, though instead of taking a seat at that couch again, he instead paced back and forth, absolutely fuming at his guest and her gall.

The standoff didn't last long, with (y/n) quickly turning to face Mingyu, completely unaware of the state he was in as she quickly and clumsily broke the silence.

“Is Wonwoo okay? Can we call him?”

If there were ever any wronger words to speak, (y/n) perhaps would find them with blissful ease, as she managed to finally find Mingyu’s final shred of patience.

“Wonwoo?” He asked incredulously, scoffing out his words in disbelief. He had stopped pacing, head quirked and staring at (y/n) who slowly but surely began to piece together Mingyu’s utter irritation. “Wonwoo should be the least of your concerns right now.” He raised an arm, pointing at the door behind her. “Did you not see that? Do you not realize what you were about to walk into? Are you so dense that you can't even realize that the person you should be most worried about is yourself?”

His eyes were alight with wrath, features hardening as he glowered before (y/n). Gone was the gentle giant she had quickly come to associate with Mingyu, instead replaced by someone entirely different. Perhaps this was always Mingyu. Someone so utterly human to have such flaws as this. Such emotional turmoil to be able to feel and present his anger in such a way. Someone who carries a facade of uniformity, but just as everyone else, conceals the depth of his emotions brewing beneath like a volcano ready to erupt.

Yet even at this moment, (y/n) found Mingyu so terribly intriguing. So beautifully human in all of his creation, without any pretense or subterfuge which was so commonly found in the circles she associates herself with. So raw in this performative sense, that even as he berated her with this dangerous fury broiling within him, she found him to be so terribly and utterly beautiful.

Mingyu scoffed at (y/n)’s silence, retracting his hand to rub at his temple in disbelief.

“It seems it's just in your nature to go into whatever endeavor you find yourself in without any regard or second thought. Even now, you're standing here in your own little world, not realizing the gravity of the situation.” He stepped closer, now standing right in front of (y/n), head in hands as he attempted to ease the oncoming headache. “How have you managed to survive all these years when you haven't a single shred of precaution in your body?”

Again, she remained quiet, blinking up at Mingyu, starstruck by it all, from the sudden shift in mannerism on Mingyu's part to the whirlwind of emotions circulating through her system, that she couldn't quite wrap her head around his words. Theoretically, she understood where he was coming from, understood the innate kindness that resided deep beneath his rough exterior, having seen it through his actions and words to the point that it had now been an undeniable fact of his character. Though delving anymore beyond that, she found herself merely drawing a complete blank, so absolutely entrenched in her own thoughts and her own worries that she struggled in understanding why Mingyu would be so concerned about the likes of her. To the point that he'd break his character like this.

He dropped his arms to his side, face fully revealed to her where she could spectate the harshness of his countenance now riddled with all sorts of wrinkled lines from his tension and irritated redness from his stewing anger.

“You drive out here in the middle of our worst season in a car wholly unsuited for this weather or the distance you're trekking.” His voice had lowered significantly, no longer carrying that loud timbre he had initially possessed, though still laced with exasperation, telling (y/n) to not provoke him any further. “You bring thin clothes that can't withstand air conditioning, let alone a blizzard of this caliber.” Shyly, she tugged at the sleeves of the sweater she was wearing, ironically being that of the thick wool piece Mingyu himself had to give to her lest she gets frostbite from merely walking outside for just a few minutes. “And you have tried to sleep in your car not once, but twice in the middle of a snowstorm.”

She shrunk with every word he uttered, though especially with his final point. The realization of him having known the objective of her abrupt departure without her even having to clarify unnerved her, and (y/n) had begun to further recline into herself, wanting nothing more than to disappear. She knew it was a bad idea, given the lecture he gave her just the day before, but it was all she could consider what with her insecure and guilt ridden mind still clouding her rationality.

The guilt seemed to only grow the longer she remained there, thoughts further spiraling into the void. Mingyu had stalked off, presumably to cool off, though he didn't trail too far. He remained in view of (y/n), still residing in the same vicinity, just as far as he could possibly be from her whilst still remaining in her line of sight. Somehow, even this added to the flames engulfing her from within.

It had become too much for her to handle. These agonizing thoughts that only served to further mangle her, twisting her into this unrecognizable form. A version of herself she'd never had the opportunity of meeting. Someone so absolutely broken inside, devoid of any sort of life. A reflection of herself and what resided beyond the facade she carries around her, clutching onto this false reality she's blindsided herself with to hide away the fragility that lurked beneath. This gaping emptiness became all too apparent to her, and thoughts of herself and her character haunted her consciousness.

Who is she? What's her purpose? What is she any good for?

Why did it take her being forcibly stranded in a cabin in the woods with an emotionally unavailable lumberjack of a man to come to the realization that she does not feel like a person? Perhaps she had never felt like a person. Merely playing the role she was given upon birth, slotting herself into society like everyone else, assuming her position as a socialite with ease, though at the cost of her humanity.

She hadn't felt the first tear cascading down her face, nor the second, nor the third. She hadn't felt the onslaught of moisture streaked across her cheeks, nor the tears collecting at her chin. She hadn't felt the way her body quaked with emotion, trembling as if out there in the storm with nothing clinging to her person. She hadn't even felt how she choked through the first sob, shattering the stillness of the atmosphere with a defeated and broken cry which finally jostled Mingyu from his tirade.

What she had felt was a hand upon her elbow, in the softest and most gentle manner she'd ever been handled before. She looked up through her teary gaze, choking on a momentarily surprised gasp, having not heard Mingyu approaching, though upon seeing the disheartened expression across his face, she dropped her defenses. Another sob spilled from her lips, and then another, until she had begun fully crying, eyes shut and tears freely falling without any regard to her surroundings.

Mingyu seemed at a loss, keeping his hands on her arms, thumbs rubbing her through the thick wool material she was encased in. If he wanted to do anything more, he showed no indications of doing so. Until she finally spoke her first set of words since the altercation had begun.

“I want to go home.”

Somehow those words alone were able to shatter whatever distance Mingyu had attempted to put between them, and he slowly drew her into his chest in as soft a hug as he could muster. His hands rubbed along her back, standing there and holding up her defeated form as best he could, letting her cry her heart out into his sweater.

His touch was careful and soft, yet she could feel the clumsiness slipping through his actions here and there. The way his hands hesitated at moments in their path, the stiffness of his arms encircling her, the stutter of his breathing where her ear rested. Yet all of these imperfections felt as comforting to her as could be. The frigidity and unfamiliarity of his intentions drew her away from the overwhelming emotions wreaking havoc to her mind, grounding her back in a place away from it all.

A safe and warm place which smelled like pine needles and mint, with the scratchy material of a worn sweater scraping against her cheek and a deep, warm chest breathing steadily against her ear.

“I'm sorry,” Mingyu softly uttered once (y/n)’s tears had quelled. “I'm sorry for being an asshole. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that.”

(y/n) felt one last tear slip away before she slowly shut her eyes and hugged Mingyu back, savoring the comfort of a true hug she'd perhaps never feel again in her lifetime. A genuine, caring, thoughtful embrace unlike any she's faced before. She didn't know for how long she went about savoring said hug, though eventually Mingyu began ushering her down the hall and to the bathroom, much the same as when he first picked her up. As he had done previously, he fetched her clothes from her bag forgotten by the entryway and a fresh set of towels before departing for the kitchen. It was a strange cycle they'd found themselves seemingly falling into, though not unwelcomed in any way.

She didn't want to linger as long as she had before, far too wary of her straying thoughts and what could result if she were to linger upon her prior revelations once more. And so after a quick and brisk shower, she scuffled back to the kitchen where Mingyu slaved over the stove again, back facing her and attention completely devoted to his task at hand.

Gently, she raised her fist to the doorway, knocking against the wood softly and drawing his gaze over to her momentarily.

“Looks like you don't need a bell after all,” he commented, offering a small grin her way before returning to his dish. “I'm nearly done with dinner. I wanted you to eat right away, so I didn't want to make another soup. They usually have to brew for a bit.”

“I think I'd like anything you cook for me.” This elicited a pleased hum from Mingyu, and another minute quirk of his lips. The sight settled (y/n)’s nerves, and she found herself comfortably sinking into the chair she's claimed as her own at this point.

Dinner was for the most part silent between the two. There was the occasional commentary on either of their parts, (y/n) thanking and complimenting Mingyu and his cooking, Mingyu probing her for dinner suggestions and preferences, the occasional joke slipped in here and there. Thankfully, there were no eggshells which needed to be traipsed over with caution. As if the events of the previous hour hadn't even occurred. And once more, (y/n) found herself intrigued by and rather thankful for Mingyu's aloofness. Without fail, he returned to how he had been when they had first met, with his quiet, somber demeanor, impish grin whenever he pokes fun at her, reserved and calculative. There was an edge of withdrawal in the way he conducted himself, and (y/n) could tell that there had been a defense put up whilst she showered, though it didn't seem wholly false. Overall, it felt as if Mingyu allowed her to see a part of himself he had been wary of revealing to just anyone.

The lighthearted dinner had come to an end, and they had once more cleaned up the kitchen and headed to their rooms. Mingyu was hesitant as he stood before his door, neither wanting to initiate the farewells nor respond to hers. Instead, he stood there, head down turned and facing the wooden floorboards while his hand clenched upon the doorknob leading to his room.

“I wanted to apologize again,” He spoke softly, more so a rumble of voice than anything else, yet it easily carried through the stillness of the cabin. “I'm not… a person who spends time with others often. I sometimes forget how to act. And I'm really sorry for my outburst earlier.”

“It's okay,” (y/n) responded quietly. “I also don't really know how to act around others.” She didn't want to elaborate right now. She didn't want to revisit how fake and performative her life is. She didn't want to explain how every single person she's been around up to this point has had an agenda and ulterior motives whenever they communicate with her. Though seeing Mingyu’s defeated form, shoulders slouched over and head refusing to lift from where he stood, she found herself skipping over it all and rushing to the end. “But I think I'm figuring it out the more I'm with you.”

Mingyu's head had finally risen from where he had been staring at the floor, brown eyes now meeting (y/n)’s gaze. She felt her breath stutter seeing the doe eyed look he gave her. This momentary lapse in his facade where she could see so clearly how vulnerable he truly was. The sheer emotion that rippled through his dark irises, showing her this image of a broken and startled boy, hiding away from the world like his life depended on it. It was startling how transparent he had become in that one second, so indisputably innocent and helpless he was, though in the next moment, his gaze had hardened once more, lips tightening into a straight line as he quickly averted his attention back to his door.

“I'm glad you're holding on. I understand your situation is rather stressful, so I wouldn't want to add on to that.” Quickly, he slipped into his room, slowly closing the door as he gave her one last glance. “Goodnight.”

With that, Mingyu had disappeared, leaving her standing there in the middle of the hall, awestruck at the encounter and still attempting to wrap her head around what she had seen. Or at least what she thinks she saw. It was so quick, yet she's sure she couldn't have been mistaken. There was still a part of her that yearned for more, persisted in pushing and learning and figuring out every aspect of Mingyu, though now a larger part of her seemed to be taking control. A part of her that seemed almost unrecognizable, yet not unwelcomed. A part of her which sought for change of any sort, thought especially within herself.

Her final thoughts as she drifted to sleep that night was the fond realization that she'd perhaps grow to like this new self.

so when you're invited to your old friend's wedding, you ask soonyoung to come along as your plus one. that was kind of your thing, going to weddings or parties as each other's plus ones. it was fun and gave you both an excuse to spend time with each other.

so here you are, slow dancing under the starry night sky with soonyoung, as you both sway and slowly move to the music playing, looking at each other. soonyoung looks at you like you're the only person in the world right now. his eyes are filled with so much love and adoration as it look at you, it almost overwhelms you and you tear your gaze away, clearing your throat before you look back up at him. suddenly you're hyper-aware of how you both are and the feeling of his hands on you. soonyoung's gaze never once wavers as he gives you a soft smile, making your heart race.

"what are you thinking about", you tease, poking him in the chest, getting nervous under his gaze.

"i think i'm in love with you", he says softly, the words hanging in the air between you both. your eyes widen at his words, at his sudden confession before you regain your composure, only blinking at him, thinking he was pulling your leg.

"very funny", you tell, laughing nervously but he doesn't seem fazed, as he pulls you closer ever so slightly, but enough to make your breath hitch in your throat, his gaze drawing you in.

you'd honestly wondered what would happen if you both harboured feelings for each other, but soonyoung's confession catches you off guard. did you like him back? yes. maybe even love him? yes.

"and if i said i was in love with you too?", you offer and he smiles wider when he hears those words.

"then that's good", he adds, holding your gaze, looking at you with pure endearment, a softness and adoration in his gaze.

"i think we'd make a pretty cute couple, don't you think?', he asks, making you laugh, and he laughs too. and when you look at him this time, the tension in the air is no longer there, replaced with a quiet understanding as you both look at each other.

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The food is good, though. He won't lie about that. But the air reeks of alcohol and burnt meat at this point, and Jihoon is genuinely surprised no one has passed out drunk yet. He can feel the tiredness seeping into his eyelids as he peers around tensely, knowing that he definitely only exchanged a singular hi, nice to meet you with everyone before sitting down.

He checks his watch for the time, and also mindlessly checks the time on his phone too as if it was going to miraculously display a different hour. But it doesn't. It's still 10:34 PM, and Jihoon contemplates how much longer he must endure this social ordeal as he'd rather be in the comfort of his place...

...with you.

Jihoon barely processes the way his face lights up when his eyes land back on you emerging from the restroom. He's already picking up his body from how slouched he was sitting down moments ago. A small smile stretches across his face, momentarily erasing the look of social exhaustion.

His eyes follow you until you sit yourself down in the seat next to him, a cute, eager grin plastered across your face. Jihoon catches the slightly flushed look to your features from some of the drinking you've done earlier, but it only adds to your charm even more.

Under the table, he feels your hand sliding into his even while you're goofily greeting everyone for the third time tonight, fingers intertwining together as if you've never left. Jihoon's heart does a little jump at the touch, glancing around the table to see if anyone has noticed. But everyone seems too engrossed in their own conversations to pay much attention.

Jihoon knows that you're popular at work, and it's hard not to see why. The entire restaurant glows at the sight of you, or perhaps that's only what he sees.

It kind of makes him wonder if it was really necessary to let you drag him along. He hasn't contributed much to the entire outing except for being able to fill an empty chair. And yet, you were very excited to invite him as your plus one when everyone else only brought themselves.

But then again, he doesn't seem to mind that much𑁋he gets to hold your hand, gets to steal endless glances at your face and watch you enjoy yourself, knowing that at the end of the night you'll be coming home with him, and that's enough to make this evening bearable.

There's a squeeze to his hand, and Jihoon glances down before flickering back up to your face. You're peering at him with sleepy eyes, a lopsided smile, a small bit of dried sauce at the corners of your lips. Yet, there's some worry in there etched between the lines. He knows it's directed towards him.

He squeezes back your hand reassuringly, and before you can say anything, one of your coworkers taps on your shoulder to redirect your attention. Jihoon hardly catches what they say, but the laugh you let out a minute later is music to his ears. It's a hearty, genuine laugh that fills the air around the restaurant; it's the only sound he could discern among everyone else's' laugh.

However, his chest tightens ever so slightly, and his smile falters a little. His grip on your hand tightens subconsciously.

"And didn't Y/N have to hide under Seokmin's desk? Just because they were eating when it wasn't their break?"

"But I ended up getting in trouble anyways!" Your hand lets go of Jihoon's briefly to swat playfully at your coworker, then it isn't long until your hands lock together again. He really likes it when you do that. "And it's all because Seokmin couldn't keep his mouth shut!"

Jihoon doesn't know how much longer the conversation lasts because he's too busy playing with your hand, tracing aimlessly along the lines of your palm with his thumb. There's a nagging feeling tugging at the seams of his mind that's a bit too hard to brush off. He continues stealing glances at you, catching the way your eyes sparkle as you listen intently to another story from a coworker.

You look happy, genuinely happy, and a part of him wants nothing more than to keep that smile on your face.

When it was finally time for your coworkers to all start leaving one-by-one, Jihoon finds himself lingering near you, practically hovering as you bid your goodbyes and exchange your hugs with everyone. By the time it was the two of you left outside the restaurant, you trail towards your boyfriend laggardly, nearly collapsing on him in the process.

"I'm so tired," You mumble into his shoulder, before pulling away and reaching for his hand. "Think I'm going to pass out when we get home."

Jihoon just chuckles quietly. "But you had a lot of fun, right?"

A dreamy curve makes its way across your lips as you nod.

"Hmm, yeah," You reply lazily, somewhat tipsily. "Lots of fun."

The cool night air brushes against your skin as you walk together, the streets quiet and empty save for the occasional passing car. Jihoon can feel the weight of exhaustion in his bones as well, and the weight of your body leaning on him only adds to it, but he doesn't mind.

Your hands swing back and forth together as you stroll along the sidewalk, the soft glow of streetlights casting gentle shadows around you. Despite the tiredness, a warm contentment settles over Jihoon.

"Are you okay?"

Jihoon turns to you. "What?"

"I asked if you were okay," You repeat, a bit more softer this time. "You were just a bit quiet earlier."

He blinks a few times.

"Ah," is all Jihoon could respond with right now, because he doesn't know exactly how to answer that. He's fine, he knows he is, but there's a bit of unease in each step he takes.

You hang your head low to the ground as if in guilt. "I'm sorry for kind of forcing you to come with me. Just wanted your company, you know?"

Jihoon just shakes his head. "No, it's okay." Then he brings his eyes down too. "Seeing you happy made me happy. It was worth it."

You smile at that, just barely, though you swear there's still something else he isn't telling you. But you don't press on though, choosing to let some quietness roll over instead. The heaviness in your head had manage to slither its way to your own footsteps. You really can't wait to finally sleep.

Jihoon's grip on your hand is somewhat loose. Even though on the outside it may appear normal, you've held his hand one too many times to know when something is amiss.

"I don't... bore you, right?"

You stop in your tracks to face him. "Bore me?"

"It's ridiculous, I know," Jihoon says bashfully, immediately regretting asking that. "It's just... You were laughing a lot earlier. It's been a while since I've heard you laugh that much."

Your eyes wander over him, peering at him as if he's said the most strangest thing ever. Then you let out lighthearted scoff, letting yourself step closer to him.

"Hey, look at me," You urge him, tugging slightly on his hand for him to bring his eyes up to you. "Please?"

And so he does, meeting your gaze with a flicker of confusion. You hold his eyes for a few moments before you start to struggle, almost like you’re in a staring contest. Then a blush creeps up your cheeks, blossoming across your face like a freshly bloomed flower. A soft, nervous giggle escapes your lips, starting as a quiet chuckle before growing into a hearty blend of laughter.

For a second, Jihoon is a bit puzzled, before he feels a laugh of his own tumble out of his chest. "Why are you laughing?"

"Because you're cute."

"And that... makes you laugh?"

"It makes me happy," You answer witfully. "You make me happy. And just because I'm not laughing doesn't mean you're boring me."

Jihoon just gazes at you both dazedly and fondly, and the more he does so, the more it has you giggling even more. It could be from the alcohol earlier and it's a sign that you should really get back home this instant, but he's simply just standing there like a confused toddler, and you're happy.

"And your laugh... Gosh, your laugh," You continue on, and there's an affectionate look in your eyes. "I love your laugh. Please laugh more like that around me or I will go insane, Jihoonie."

A small grin spreads across Jihoon's face. "Then be cute, like you are now."

"Deal," You quip tauntingly, bringing his hand up to your lips to place a small kiss on before the two of you continue strolling down the sidewalk.

The silence takes over for some time, a comfortable silence that isn't heavy or awkward this time, only the tapping of your shoes against the pavement and the occasional rustle of leaves in the cool night breeze filling the space.

"I love your laugh, too."

You pick your head back up, gazing at him with sleepy, half-lidded eyes. "What did you say?"

Jihoon hesitates, before smiling bashfully.

"I said that I love you."

“so, just finish your guys’ section of the slides and text the group chat when you’re done, ‘kay?”

jun smiles at chan and you nod, hunched over the table writing notes in your planner.

“great… i think we're done here, then.” soonyoung grins, leaning back in his chair to stretch. “you guys got any fun plans for the weekend?”

jun looks at his watch, then glances at you. “yeah… not really. we actually gotta head out,” he says with a sigh. “reserved one of the rooms upstairs to study for our calc final on monday.”

you hum, giving the other two a pained look, as if you wish you could stay longer.

“man, that sucks.” 

chan nods in agreement with him. “yeah. well, good luck. see you guys tuesday?”

you nod and turn to leave with jun trailing behind you, waving over your shoulder as you both head towards the elevator.

“y’know, i thought this would be a lot worse,” soonyoung says after the doors shut and you and jun disappear inside, shoving a folder full of loose papers into his bag. “i thought they’d be, like, more into pda.”

chan shakes his head as he closes his laptop. “nah, they’re too shy. everybody knows they’ve been dating forever, but i don’t think i’ve ever seen them do more than hold hands. they’d probably explode if they even thought about anything else.”

“yeah, you’re right.” soonyoung shrugs and slings his backpack over his shoulder.

chan stands up, swiping his hand across the table to brush away the eraser shavings from their study session with a sigh. “i’m just glad the semester’s almost over and we don’t have to worry about this anymore.” 

“ugh, i know. we could’ve gotten stuck with jihoon the perfectionist,” soonyoung grumbles. 

“or jeonghan… i don’t think i’ve seen him come to class once after the first day.”

“she said attendance was optional though, i don’t blame him.”

chan pushes his chair in. “anyway… hey, speaking of jeonghan, are you going to sig pi’s party tonight? heard he was gonna bring the keg.”

“hell yeah.” he gestures to his backpack as they walk out the library entrance. “it’s friday, i’m gonna ignore this all weekend and do it all the night before." 

chan laughs. “same. but i'm sure the other two will have theirs done by the end of the day.”

“mm, harder, jun— fuck!”

you whine as jun slams his hips into you, your back pressed against the whiteboard on the wall and your leg wrapped around his waist. he groans and buries his head in your chest, scraping his teeth over your skin where your breasts spill out of your tank top.

“dirty little slut,” he rasps, voice low and rough as his hands tighten around your hips for leverage. “so needy, you can’t go ten fucking minutes without having my cock inside you, hm? wanted me to fuck you right there on the table, in front of everybody in the library? in front of chan and soonyoung?”

you whimper and squeeze his bicep, remembering from just minutes ago when he'd buried his fingers in your aching pussy as soon as the elevator doors clicked shut, pressing your lips messily against his in a pathetic clash of tongues and teeth.

you already knew today wasn't going to be a very productive day as soon as you felt his hand on your thigh under the table. to anyone else you just looked studious and focused on the group project. you weren't known for being especially outgoing, so no one batted an eye when you barely spoke more than a few words the entire meeting.

but only jun knew how unceremoniously quiet you were being today, keeping your mouth firmly shut and struggling not to let out a whiny moan as his fingers smoothed over your soft skin, inching higher up beneath your skirt. only jun could feel the burning warmth radiating between your legs, tracing his fingers gently, teasingly, over your pussy.

it took mere minutes before your panties were soaked through completely, and you finally had to kick jun's leg under the table and get him to make some excuse to get you both out of there. it wasn't technically a lie; he really did have a study room reserved and you really did have calculus homework to review before your final, but it wasn't as urgent as he had made it seem to your group partners.

what was urgent, on the other hand, was your throbbing pussy and how desperately you needed him. but luckily for you he was equally as desperate and immediately gave you what you needed as soon as you'd locked yourselves in the reserved room.

with every snap of his hips his glasses slip further and further down his nose, little beads of sweat trickling down his temple from the force.

his hands slide down your sides and settle below your ass, and before you know it suddenly your back isn't against the wall anymore and he's lifting you up, dropping you on the rectangular wooden table behind you. you yelp and wrap your arms around his neck for balance, but he doesn't seem to notice or care as he grips the backs of your thighs, his cock still nestled inside you as he turns around and sets you down in one fluid motion.

he not-so-gently lays your back against the table, his hands on your hips keeping you flush against him and wrapping your legs around his waist. once he's satisfied with the change he leans over you and cups your cheek with one hand, pulling you into him to meet your lips in a sloppy, heated kiss.

he starts to pick up the pace again, slowly pulling his hips back before pushing into you, building up each thrust harder, deeper, rougher. your back slides against the smooth surface of the table but his hand on your jaw keeps your head from moving too much, making sure your gaze is fixed on him and only him.

“you wanna cum, angel?” he breathes against your mouth, his lips hot and slick with saliva as your walls squeeze tighter around him. “have you earned it?”

you whimper and try to lean your head back but his grip is firm, not letting you move.

he lets out a low noise like a growl that seems almost disappointed, but you know he's enjoying this just as much as you are. “eyes on me, sweetheart. don't make me ask again.”

“p-please,” you gasp, and he rewards your answer with a pointed thrust. “please, jun, so c-close—”

he grins and swoops down to cut you off with a kiss, clearly pleased.

“cum all over this fucking table like the needy little bitch you are.”

you gasp and clench around him with another moan, nails digging into his back as you feel yourself beginning to crest over the edge.

your eyelids flutter and your head lolls back but jun doesn't comment on it, never faltering his pace and letting you ride out the waves. he's all bark and no bite, and as soon as you give the indication that you're cumming it's like a switch is flipped in his brain and all he can think about is how to make it better, stronger, more intense and pleasurable for you.

his hand shifts to the back of your head, his fingers gently digging into your scalp to support your neck as he keeps you propped up against the table. he revels in the way your body trembles for him, because of him, your lips gone slack against his mouth and unable to even return his kisses as he continues to slam his cock into you.

his thrusts start to grow shallower as you tighten around him until he's forced to bring himself to a stop. you let out a whimper as he lays you gently down flat against the table, giving you a second to rest though his cock stays buried inside you, still hard and throbbing.

the reprieve doesn't last long though, because as soon as you've recovered enough to lift yourself back up onto your elbows he pulls you closer with a barely audible groan of your name. he kisses you greedily, swallowing your moans and replacing them with some of his own, his hand on the back of your neck keeping you pressed against him as he hovers over you. 

he breaks away for air, his breathing labored and his lips swollen from kissing you so hard. he finally pulls out of you and you let out a low whine at the loss, your thighs trembling as he steps backwards.

with a gentle but firm hand he pulls you onto the floor, dropping you onto your knees. he pulls out one of the chairs from the table and sinks down into it, leaning back against the back of the chair and spreading his legs wide.

before he even has to ask you crawl across the floor over to him, kneeling between his legs with a whimper. he lets out a breathy laugh, sighing as he pats his thigh for you to come closer. 

“you got yours, sweetheart, now return the favor.” he glances down at you and the look in his eyes sends a shiver down your spine, the corner of his mouth turned up in an expectant smirk. “you want me to cum in your mouth or in your pussy?”

you hum but don't even bother with a reply, both of you already knowing what you'll pick. you settle on the floor, placing your hands on his thighs and sliding up his legs. with a sigh he weaves his fingers into your hair encouragingly.

you wrap your lips around his tip and immediately moan at the familiar feeling of the weight on your tongue. you slowly take him deeper until you gag, tears already beginning to form in your eyes before you pull off of him teasingly. you open your mouth wider and run your tongue along the veins on the underside of his cock, taking your time to let your saliva coat his length. you can still taste yourself on him, the salty bitterness of your juices from when you came around him earlier.

you guide him back into your mouth and start to bob your head, letting out a whine the deeper you take him. spit leaks from the corners of your mouth, dripping down his shaft and pooling at the base of his cock.

you can barely fit half his length down your throat, but still you move your head up and down so enthusiastically, your hands twisting and jerking the area where your lips can't reach.

if jun wasn't so distracted at how good your mouth feels he might have laughed. his sweet, innocent girlfriend sucking him off in the library, with the most adorable look on your face as you struggle to take his cock, your nose all scrunched up in concentration. your skirt lays fanned out across your lap, stopping short just above your knees as you sit on the floor.

you swirl your tongue around his tip and lift your eyes to meet his, warmth flooding your chest when you see how truly fucked-out his expression is. you move your hands, trailing your fingers down to cup his balls as you press your other hand flat against his stomach for leverage.

the noises coming out of your mouth are almost enough to convince him that you're getting off on this more than he is, if he couldn't feel it getting harder and harder to hold off his own orgasm. he slows down for just a second to wipe away a tear with his thumb before he grabs your hands and places them on his thighs.

“you know what to do, angel,” jun groans softly and you look up at him and nod, tapping your fingers against his leg.

once you've given the signal he works his fingers into your hair and pulls you down hard, grabbing the back of your head and fucking your throat without mercy.

you let out a muffled gasp in surprise but quickly become accustomed to his rough thrusts. you struggle to relax your jaw, moaning and drooling around his cock but your whimpering only spurs him on more as he bucks his hips into your mouth.

he groans out continuous praises, his voice suddenly growing hushed as if he's afraid someone might hear, though your combined moans when he was fucking you earlier were by far louder than he is now. 

despite jun's incredible stamina you can feel the tension building in his muscles, his thighs strained as he snaps up into your mouth, and you moan around his length to try and get him closer to the edge. tears continue to stream down your face as you hollow your cheeks, even now still trying to take him deeper. 

“fuck, baby— so fucking good… just—” he grunts, falling silent for a moment before he releases into your mouth with a long, low whine.

you squeeze jun's thighs to ground yourself as he floods your mouth with cum, feeling his cock jump and twitch against your lips with each rope he pumps onto your tongue.

your jaw aches and your legs are wobbly as jun carefully pulls you to your feet, setting you on his lap with a soft groan. he rubs his palm soothingly over your thigh, slipping just under the hem of your skirt.

he glances at the table, where your panties lie discarded on the floor next to your backpacks. jun wraps one arm around your waist to keep you secure on his lap and leans down to pick them up.

“you need these back, or can i keep them?” he asks as he holds them up in front of you, a hint of mischievousness in his tone but his voice softer now.

you grin and shake your head, and he leans forward to kiss your cheek as he balls them up and shoves them into his cardigan pocket before pulling your tank top back up over your breasts.

“good. now, wanna go home?”

the elevator ride back down to the lobby is decidedly calmer. you let out a whine when jun squeezes a handful of your ass, letting his hand linger on your cheek for just a second too long before the bell dings and the shiny silver doors slide open. you tug your skirt down as far as it'll go as you walk towards the exit, and even though jun's standing behind you and you can't see his face, you know he's wearing the subtlest of smirks.

you breathe a little sigh of relief once you finally get outside of the building and into the spring sunshine, standing in the parking lot waiting next to the passenger side door of jun's car for him to unlock it.

the relief doesn't last long, of course, when jun puts his hand back on your thigh as he pulls the car into reverse and backs out of the lot.

and by the time you get back to his tiny apartment, it doesn't take long for the rest of your clothes to end up on his floor and you bouncing on his lap. the biggest relief isn't your orgasms, or even his: it's the privacy. because now you know you won't be disturbed.

i hope you enjoyed this!! if you did, consider reblogging or leaving a comment or an ask :) it shows me this is something people want to see more of, and knowing people like this makes me want to write more of it! thanks for reading!!

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"are you ready to order miss?" the waitress asks.

"no i'm actually waiting for someone", you say and she gives you a small nod and goes on her way. another ten minutes pass and he's still not here. you call and text him but he isn't taking your calls and isn't seeing your texts either.

dread and realisation wash over you as you realise you've been stood up. but some part of you doesn't want to believe it and you keep waiting, hoping that he's just late. the waitress makes her way to your table again and you try your best to keep calm as you tell her the person you're waiting for is running latel but she just gives you a look like she knows.

as you look around, people are glancing at you and giving you apologetic looks and you suddenly feel so embarrassed, looking down at your lap, and fiddling with your fingers. it's been almost 45 minutes and now you really don't think he's going to show up - you've been stoop up. you finally get the courage to get up and leave when a man you've never seen before and is damn well not your date sliding into the seat across from you, flashing you a pretty smile.

"hey babe, i'm so sorry i got late, i had a small setback at work", he says loudly, like he wants everyone to hear. you furrow my brows in confusion.

"'i'm jun, just go with it okay?" he adds quietly, and you don't know why but you went with it. maybe because he was trying to help you from this embarrassing situation.

"finally! i was so hungry", you reply, surpressing the urge to laugh out loud at what you were doing right now.

"oh really? you should have ordered something for yourself then, i'm so sorry for being late", he replied and you couldn't help but chuckle at this exchange, and he chuckled along too.

you both go quiet again, just looking at each other. "whoever didn't bother to show up is an ass", he says, breaking the silence. "so you don't mind if i join you right?" he asks, looking at you intently.

"no, it's fine", you say and we order our food.

"how did you know i was stood up?" you ask, leaning forward.

"oh, you're going to think i'm weird", he rubbing the back of his neck "like this situation isn't weird enough", you prompt, giving him a look.

"i see you in the bus almost every day and i thought of asking for your number so i followed you. but it looked like you were waiting for someone so i just sat on the bench outside. and when i saw no one had come after 20 minutes, combined with the look of dread on your face, it was easy to put it all together", he explains sheepishly.

"oh, was it that obvious?" you asked, feeling embarrassed and shy again. "yeah, but i think i came and saved you just in time didn't i?" he asked, proud. "yes you did, thank you for that", you say smiling.

he's so sweet and so cute not to mention really handsome. you both talk some more over dinner and he insists on paying even though you barely know him and you offer to pay him back.

"thank you again, it was really sweet of you", you tell, grateful and he smiles.

"no problem, i still can't believe that such a pretty person like you got stood up", he said, flattering you.

"you should really give your boyfriend a piece of your mind when you see him, he shouldn't have stood you up like that, he could have at least called and told you", he added as you furrow your brows in slight confusion.

"actually it was a blind date, i don't have a boyfriend", you said and you didn't miss the face light up at this piece of information, suddenly looking hopeful as he tried to hide the smile on his face.

"in that case, you do want to have lunch tomorrow with me?" he asked, and he was definitely nervous by the look on his face. was he asking you out?

"sure", you tell because why not? he seemed like a really sweet and cool guy and he was 100% better the guy who just stood you up.

he grinned when you said yes and you both exchanged numbers and parted ways. tonight was the best non-planned date ever.

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you're walking, the clouds gloomy and grey, heavy with rain that is ready to burst anytime. you could tell that it was going to rain cats and dogs and groan because you should have known better than to not carry an umbrella especially given how unpredictable the weather and rain had been this past week. you just continue walking to your destination - a job interview, praying it doesn't rain.

but the weather obviously had a mind of it's own and a few minutes later you can feel the drops of rain scatter down, falling on you before it gets heavier. you pick up your walking pace and walk faster, the drizzle getting heavier and heavier until it was straight up a heavy downpour and if you didn't seek shelter now you would get drenched, which is not the ideal way to show up to a job interview.

you run the best you can with your shoes and find a small a small awning in front of a store, making a run for it there, putting your handbag over your head to protect your hair your spent hours styling as you make your way to the awning with a desperate determination.

just as you jog into the awning, you feel someone run beside you, overtaking you and taking a place there but you don't have enough time to stop and you end up bumping right into them. they catch you before you fall.

"woah easy there", a sweet voice tells, his hand holding your arm to support you up as you regain your balance. you look up and see a man in front of you, pretty much in the same state as you, all dressed up and almost drenched.

you look at him and can't help but laugh as you look at him and he looks at you with those pretty eyes and lets out a sweet laugh as well.

"guess we both got caught in the downpour huh", he tells, his voice sweet. "yeah, weather is crazy this week", you fill in, as you catch your breath.

as you continued to look at the man, you couldn't help but feel a attractive to him, and you felt something bloom in your heart, something that made you feel warm and fuzzy. this man was so pretty. you'd never felt something like this before and you feel your heart beat thumping softly.

"i'm joshua", he introduces, giving you a friendly smile. "i'm yn", you tell, still mesmerized by him.

you watch as he ruffles his brown hair's damp and gotten a little wavy from from all the rain, his shirt and shoulders wet but you are in the same boat. but somehow he managed to look so pretty and handsome despite the situation and you find yourself staring at him for a couple of extra seconds before you look away, back at the rain that was pouring down.

"god i hope this rain stops soon, i'm going to be late", you mumble as you look at the rain pour down at a steady pace, with no signs of stopping. you pull your blazer around you closer to shield yourself from the sprinkle of rain that was falling on you because of the harsh wind.

"late for work?", he prompts. "i'm late too", he adds. "i'm actually late for an interview", you tell. "we can't have you being late for a job interview now can we?", he tells and as he scans the area and spots a convenience store on the opposite end of the road. and it's like you can read his mind because you someone knew exactly what he was going to do.

"don't, whatever you're thinking, it's not a good idea", you warn and he only smiles. "i'll be back", he tells before he starts to make a run for it in the downpour, towards the store and your hand reaches out for his in an attempt to stop him but you end up running behind him too and his hand encases yours as you both run across the road in the rain, getting soaked.

as soon as you enter the store, you look at him and burst out laughing because of what you'd just done, and so does he, giving you a sweet smile and laughing along with you, your hand still in his and you could feel the connection you had with this man was instant, something special.

"that was...fun", you tell when you finally catch your breath. "you can feel the spark between you both as you look at him.

"nothing like getting stuck and running in the rain is it?", he asks, with an amused smile. "let's buy you that umbrella so you can get to your interview", he adds, with a small smile, letting go of your hand which now feels empty without his warmth.

you get to your interview just in time, closing the umbrella that the man, joshua had bought. you set aside the umbrella and brush your damp blazer, hoping it would be dry enough but this had to do. that's what you get for running in the rain like a crazy person and you find yourself when you recall back to that moment.

you never got his number but the next week when you get the job, you're surprised, because your team leader was no other than joshua.

It's a superpower, perhaps𑁋you really consider it at this point. He's magical. Your boyfriend is woven of magic, with this ability to bottle up time with just a smile and a nonsensical ramble. It makes you wonder if maybe you should bottle him up and keep him close so the world can always feel like this: a little slower, a little more yours.

All you can remember is Seungkwan talking about something that you can't exactly recall. It was probably about something at work, or maybe it was about that new dumpling place he wanted to take you out to this weekend. Whatever it was, the details were blurred all around the edges, and you find yourself flickering in and out of a state of peaceful bliss as the warm, afternoon breeze settles around the two of you.

The feeling of his hand carding through your hair isn't helping at all, too.

Your head is laying on his lap, your legs sprawled out lazily on a picnic blanket in the middle of this small park you frequent at, the air carrying the scent of freshly cut grass and pine all around you. Rays of sunlight dapple through the leaves of the enormous tree looming above, painting patterns and shapes of warmth on your skin.

You can feel your eyelids getting heavier by the minutes that pass, and fighting the urge to fall asleep right then and there is becoming harder and harder. But you can't help it𑁋not when Seungkwan is practically feeding into the urge, with his voice that is somehow a natural lullaby and his fingers gently massaging your scalp.

"...and when I tell you he literally tripped on his shoelaces during practice! We all couldn't stop laughing! Oh my gosh, baby, you should've been there. He had to practice the dance shoeless since his laces were all tangled…”

You manage to crack an eye open to look at Seungkwan, seeing that his gaze is out towards the distant pond as he continues to ramble animatedly, strands of his hair getting caught in the breeze.

You love it when he talks; he always seems so happy when he does. And you could listen to him go on and on, especially about things that make his eyes crinkle at the corners like that and his nose scrunching to fight off a laugh.

There's a sleepy, incoherent mumble that leaves your lips. Your eyes flutter back to a close, the world slowly closing in around you, and the sound of Seungkwan's voice fading into a warm, comforting hum.

"Okay, but remember that pizza place down a few blocks from our place? I heard it also got revamped into this new boba café, so I would totally be down to go there right after we..."

The moment Seungkwan's eyes fall back down to you, he shuts his mouth right away, and it hardly takes a second for his chest to suddenly feel so full of adoration that threatens to spill over the rim of his heart. His lips purse together before melting into a soft smile at the sight of you looking so peaceful right under his nose.

"Gosh, do my stories bore you that much?" he asks jokingly, yet carefully to not wake you.

He continues to peer down at you, huffing out a quiet sigh of contentment. You just look so soft right now, with your mouth parted slightly and your chest rising and falling rhythmically with each breath that leaves you. When a single strand of hair tickles upon your cheek, Seungkwan brushes it away lightly with his thumb.

He leans back on his hands, a subtle pout forming at his mouth.

"You're so pretty, you know that?" Seungkwan says, tilting his head to the sight to get a better look at you. "How in the world did I get so lucky?"

His fingers toy gently with the fabric of your shirt as he lets a few moments of silence roll through. The corners of your mouth seem to twitch at his touch, and he swears some sort of sleepy grin appears at your face. But then your lips drift back apart in a soft sigh.

Seungkwan lets out a sudden exhale he's been holding in.

"But then you always say something about how we were both lucky that we met each other," he continues on. "and while yeah, that may be true. I just... I can't help but think I'm the luckier one, because you're you, and if someone were to think they weren't lucky to have you in their life, then they're stupid."

His eyes continue to wander from you and out towards the sky, watching the sun beginning to set across the horizon.

"Do you... ever think about the future?" Seungkwan asks almost hesitantly, voice lowering a smidge at the vulnerability cracking through. "I know you hate thinking about it. But when you think of me... if you think of me being there with you, does it, um... make it feel less scary?"

He wants to mentally facepalm himself for wording it like that, or for asking it in general. Yet the question seemed to have been burning a hole through his tongue for a while now, and it's all deciding to tumble out.

Seungkwan leans down again, brushing another stray hair from your forehead. The remnants of the setting sun cast an orange glow on your features, making you look even more ethereal than usual.

"It's definitely not as scary when I think about it, because... you're in it." He chuckles to himself at how absolutely cheesy that sounded. "Could you imagine our house together? I know you've always wanted a bigger bed for all your stuffed animals and a bookshelf for your books. We could even paint the walls that colour you showed me on Pinterest the other day..."

The thought of one day having an entire house for just the two of you makes his cheeks burn with anticipation, like he's watching it all unfold in his mind. He knows he's imagining way farther ahead than ever before, but the future suddenly feels so easy and possible with you by his side.

Seungkwan steals another careful glance at you, as if he's waiting for an answer he knows he probably won't hear. When the silence starts to feel heavy, he sucks in another deep breath.

"I just hope that wherever you'll be in ten, twenty years from now... that you're happy," he says. "and that maybe, just maybe, you'll be happy with me, if you wanted to, of course."

As the uncertainty lingers in the air, the sound of gravel cracking snaps his attention away for a second. Seungkwan turns his head to catch the sight of a nearby family walking by, their laughter mingling with the gentle rustle of leaves. A ghost of a smile touches his lips as he watches them, the warmth in his chest spreading throughout his body. Then he glances back down at you, and his smile hardly wavers.

When his hands drift from your hair, you stir slightly, eyelids fluttering open a fraction. The world slowly but surely comes back into focus, and you feel yourself stretch your legs out. Tilting your head slightly, you meet Seungkwan's gaze towards you.

"Well, hello, sleeping beauty," he remarks teasingly, poking a finger at your nose. "You fell asleep on me."

You sit up from his lap, rubbing at your eyes sleepily. "Did I? Sorry."

"It's okay," Seungkwan reassures, already reaching back for your hand. "You looked cute, anyway."

You let out a scoff at that, but the heat creeping up your neck is hard to ignore. "Whatever, did I miss anything important?"

Seungkwan hesitates for a second, then shakes his head.

"Nope, nothing much," he answers. "Just talking about work and oh! The new dumpling place. Yeah, we're going there this weekend, and then stop by a new little boba café too."

The way your eyes seem to literally light up has Seungkwan grinning like a goofball.

"Oh, you are going to regret telling me about that, Mr. Boo," You threaten playfully, wiggling a finger in his direction.

Seungkwan just throws his head back and laughs, before reaching over to grab your hand into his. A yawn escapes you.

"We should probably head home now," he says, giving your hand a soft squeeze before standing up.

You follow suit, helping him pack up the picnic blanket and other belongings that the two of you brought together. And on the way back to the car, you nudge him lightly on the arm with a finger.

"Are you sure I didn't miss anything important? I must have knocked out for a bit, you know..."

Seungkwan bites at his bottom lip sheepishly. "It was something stupid."

"Come on. Whatever you say isn't stupid," You coax lightly. "I love listening to you."

He perks up at that, lifting a brow. "You... do?"

"Of course I do."

"But you fell asleep𑁋"

"Okay, the position was too comfortable," You insist hastily. "and your voice is really nice to listen to. I'm wide awake now, I swear."

Seungkwan only pauses for a few moments, a bashful look at his face. He can feel the vulnerability seeping through again, despite knowing that it's completely okay to be vulnerable, especially with you. But he'd rather say it all when the two of you are in a more comfortable... environment.

"I'll tell you at home, okay?" He presses a small kiss to your cheek. "I promise."

And when he turns away from you, you gaze down at the ground, feeling the corners of your mouth tugging back upwards.

Oh, you can't wait to hear him say all that again.

imagine soft sleepy sex with woozi: it's late at night, almost totally dark with just a soft lamp on in the background. he's laying on the bed looking up at you as you straddle him, his gaze lazily following your movements as you slowly roll your hips back and forth. it's quiet, the pale moonlight filtering in through the cracks in the window blinds and the only sounds the hushed gasps and soft moans as his cock kisses your walls with each circle of your hips.

the room is cold enough to keep the covers pulled up around your hips as you sit atop him, completely covering his bottom half with the big white comforter without getting overheated. you're wearing one of his big cozy t-shirts, and he slides one hand up your shirt to play with your boobs while his other hand is in your mouth letting you suck on his fingers. he loves to praise you like this, telling you how good you're riding him and how sexy you look in this lighting right before bed, how soft your tits are and how wet your pussy is around him, doing all the work and letting him just sit there. he loves the way your tongue swirls around his fingers, sucking him in the same way your pussy sucks him in, so warm and wet and wonderful.

and then when both of you can't take it anymore he grips your waist and rolls you over onto your side so he can rut into you from behind, slow and lazy and smooth while he kisses your shoulder and nibbles at your earlobe. his hands are draped over your body, one hand resting on your stomach so he can feel the motion of each thrust as he enters you. his warm breath tickles the back of your neck as he whispers more praise into your ear, how perfect you are for him just the way you are. 

and then you feel his body tense and he lets out a soft groan under his breath and he cums inside you and you feel your whole body flood with warmth inside and out. and then after a few soft seconds he leans behind him to shut off the lamp with a satisfied sigh, and he wraps his arms around your body again and snuggles into you, spooning until you both fall asleep. 

i hope you enjoyed this!! if you did, consider reblogging or leaving a comment or an ask :) it shows me this is something people want to see more of, and knowing people like this makes me want to write more of it! thanks for reading!!

you've been waiting for this day for weeks.

“hi baby,” minghao says warmly as you walk inside the house and slip your shoes off, setting your bag on the chair by the door. he wraps his arm around you to pull you in for a kiss before he turns his attention back to the boiling soup on the stove. “there was a package for you when i got home.” he nods his head towards the living room. “it’s on the table.”

“ooh, it’s my new hat!” you squeal and race across the room. “it's finally here!” you tear into the plastic like a wild animal, taking it out of the package and holding it up to show him.

it’s a knitted white beanie with white floppy ears hanging down from the sides of the hat. you pull it on over your hair, repositioning it so that the long fabric dangles at your shoulders. “what do you think?”

“you look so cute, baby. i love it.” he grins and moves closer to kiss you again. “though you know i’ll love anything you wear.”

you scrunch your nose at his reaction, but minghao must mistake the disappointment on your face for joy, because he leans down to kiss the tip of your nose before letting go of you and moving back towards the stove. “dinner will be ready in a bit, love. i’ll let you know when it’s on the table.”

you take off the beanie with a soft sigh and fold it up as you walk to your bedroom, not wanting to get it dirty before you’ve even had a chance to wear it anywhere. it's unreasonable to think he'd get it immediately, you know that, but you can't help but wish he'd have been just a little bit more excited at the sight of your bunny ears.

the soup is already done and minghao is waiting patiently once you come back out of your room changed into your pajamas, and by the time he’s got you pinned beneath him in bed later that night drawing pretty little moans from your lips, your bunny fantasies are the furthest thing from your mind. laying on your side as you listen to his gentle snores, you sigh and close your eyes, leaving it be. for now.

you wait a couple days before you try again.

“have you thought about what you’re gonna be for halloween?”

minghao looks up from his laptop sitting next to you in bed. “not really,” he chuckles. “it’s only april. why, did you have something in mind?”

you purse your lips, trying to seem casual. “i was thinking of being a playboy bunny. don’t you think that’d be cute?”

“mm… cute isn’t the first word that comes to mind,” he says, the corner of his lip quirking up into a smile. something flashes across his eyes and you hold your breath, hoping for the reaction you want this time. “we can look for costumes closer to october, yeah?”

you start to frown at his answer but quickly catch yourself, hiding your dismay with a smile. “good idea. hey, i’m gonna take a quick shower before bed, m’kay?”

he nods, and you lean over to give him a soft kiss on the cheek before standing up.

but this time he doesn’t miss the way your expression falls, his brows furrowed as you walk out of the room and close the bathroom door with a quiet click. he knows there’s something you want, something you’re not happy with, but sometimes it’s so hard to get you to tell him what’s on your mind.

he closes his laptop and sets it aside on the bedside table, crossing his arms over his chest in thought as he hears the shower water start to run. if all you’re willing to do for now is drop hints, then he’s just gonna have to start paying better attention until you feel like opening up. he’s not exactly a mind reader, but he’s figured you out before and he’ll do it again.

the next time it comes up, you don't even mean for it to happen.

you're walking through the mall, hand in hand as you stroll past boutiques and shops. something in one of the windows catches your eyes, and you tug on minghao's hand to go inside. he follows your gaze to the display of frilly white dresses, the wire rack wrapped with pastel garlands for their spring sale.

a sales lady with a cheap rabbit ear headband walks over and greets you with a smile, quickly launching into a memorized script about new items and clearance sales. you subconsciously squeeze minghao's hand and he pauses to watch the way you look at the woman as she talks, trying to see what you're looking at.

and then he notices something, and things start to click into place. you say something to the woman that he doesn't hear before she nods and walks away, and he sees your gaze lingering on the little cottontail tied to the belt loop of her jeans, bouncing with each step.

“you like these?” he asks curiously, running his hand over one of the dresses you'd been eyeing earlier.

“hm?” you ask absently and whip your head back around, your attention clearly drawn elsewhere. “oh, yeah. they're cute.”

well, he may not be a mind reader, but he has a hunch that the reason you wanted to come in this store wasn't to look at the clothes.

he has the chance to put his theory to the test later that night when you're straddling his lap, hands gripping your ass as he pulls you up and down along his cock.

he decides to try it, under the guise of dirty talk in the heat of the moment, and he's so casual about it you'd never suspect a thing. it already doesn't take much to get you fucked out in his arms, so when he slips it in between curses and moans you'd never be able to guess that he's been thinking about this all afternoon.

he groans as you grind down against him, waiting for the perfect opportunity. “bouncing on me so good, like a little bunny,” he says, punctuating his words with a sharp thrust that makes you fall forward onto his chest.

like a magic word you instantly clench around him, whimpering loudly as your hips stutter and fall out of rhythm with him. he sees your eyes squeeze shut as you struggle to keep going, blatantly ignoring his words and pretending they don't affect you like he knows they do.

he lets himself grin at your reaction and thrusts up into you again, making you whine again as the tip of his cock presses into the spot that has you falling apart for him.

“hao! fuck, fuck, i'm—” you barely have time to moan out a warning before you're cumming, your body trembling against him from the strength of it as you gasp for air.

when you finally come back down he does everything he usually does, nothing out of the ordinary. he kisses your forehead and cleans you up and tucks you into bed beside him. he files this new little piece of information away for later and doesn't bring it up again.

for a while you start to think it was probably just an accident, a slip of the tongue when he wasn't thinking. he says a lot of things when he's inside you; he doesn't always have to mean them. but you should know better by now not to underestimate your boyfriend when he's got an idea in his head.

days go by and both of you pretend like it never happened; you because you're embarrassed at how much it affects you, and minghao because he has bigger plans up his sleeve.

everything seems perfectly normal until one evening when you come home from work and he's waiting for you at the door, wrapping you in a hug as soon as you step inside.

"hey, baby,” he smiles, his hands resting on your waist. “got a present for you."

your cheeks warm. "but it's not my birthday or anything?" it's not uncommon for him to spoil you with gifts, but he never makes a show of it. he just hands you things like you've owned them all your life, little surprises popping up without explanation like the necklace with your birthstone on it or the box of chocolates he'd known you were craving.

"it doesn't need to be. just something special i want you to have." he runs his hand over your forehead, tucking a strand of hair gently behind your ear. "it's in the bedroom, if you wanna go take a look.”

you give him a suspicious look and pull away, slipping your shoes off and leaving him by himself. he doesn't follow you down the hall, just standing in place and folding his arms with a satisfied grin once he hears squeals coming from the bedroom.

the house goes silent for a moment, and then he sees you poke your head out into the hall. “minghao?”

“yes, baby?” he grins teasingly as he leaves the living room, meeting you in the bedroom where he finds you standing next to the bed. you raise an eyebrow at him and point at the pretty white lingerie set he'd laid out for you. 

the thin lace stands out laying atop the dark bedsheets, accompanied by a pair of fluffy white wrist cuffs and a headband with soft floppy ears similar to the one worn by the lady at the store the other day but clearly much higher quality; maybe even custom or handmade. the finishing touch is a thin, white leather collar with a bow, and he can't help but smile as he surveys his layout.

“what is this?” you draw his attention away from the setup, and though your tone sounds accusing he can tell how secretly thrilled you are despite the way you try to downplay it. 

“i told you,” he smirks. “a present.”

now it's your turn to cross your arms at him. “and why is it here?”

“because i thought you'd like it,” he says in a low voice, moving closer to you. “don't you wanna be my little bunny?”

you yelp in surprise but then sigh, finally giving in. “how'd you figure it out?”

“you're easier to read than you think, my love,” he chuckles. “i know you too well.”

“you don't… hate it?” you ask shyly, lifting your eyes to meet his gaze.

he wraps his arms around you again. “of course not. you know you could've just asked me, right?”

you scrunch your nose and pout. “i was nervous you wouldn't want to. or you'd think it's stupid.”

“you know i'd do anything you want, love. it's not stupid to me.” he leans over to press a quick kiss to your lips. “now, will you get changed for me? i can't wait to see my cute little honey bunny all dressed up.”

with a reluctant but excited squeal you push him out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him so that the reveal will be a surprise. minghao grins at the way you try to hide your enthusiasm, leaning against the doorway as he waits patiently.

finally you open the door just a crack and poke your head out, hiding your body behind it nervously. “ready?” you ask.

he nods, and with a deep breath you pull the door open all the way. you give him a little spin, the ears flopping against your hair as you show off the outfit. he smiles proudly as he joins you in the room, his fingers falling to your waist and backing you up against the bed.

“you look adorable, baby. just like i imagined,” he says in a husky voice, and you bite your lip shyly. “do you like it?”

you smile, and it's the prettiest thing he's ever seen. he'd buy you a million outfits and lingerie sets if it means he gets to see you like this every day. “i love it, hao. it's perfect.”

he sits down next to you at the edge of the bed and lifts his hand to pet your head, smoothing down your hair between the ears. you shiver in excitement, and it only makes him more eager to get started, his pants growing tighter every minute.

“i have one more present for you, mkay?” he leans away from the bed and pulls out an object from the dresser drawer. your breath catches in your throat when you realize what it is, a shiny silver plug with a round little white tail at the end that makes your heart race. “can’t be a bunny without a tail.”

you bite your lip and look at him, and he puts his hand on your thigh when you don't respond verbally. “is that okay?” he says gently, but your quick nod reassures him.

he stands up from the bed and quickly strips off his clothes, and you watch with lustful eyes as his cock slaps against his stomach, almost drooling at the sight. once he's ready you let him flip you over, kneeling down on your hands and knees with your ass readily pushed up in the air. he slips a finger under the seat of your panties, pulling them carefully to the side as he reaches over to grab the bottle of lube from the nightstand beside the bed.

you shiver as he pours the cool liquid over your ass before rubbing the toy against you to coat it. once he's satisfied with it he starts to drag the metal upwards, and you jump involuntarily as he presses the end of the plug against your hole. “mm— it’s cold,” you whine as he teases you with it once more before pulling it away.

“but it won’t be for long.” he chuckles at your reaction and rubs his free hand across your lower back soothingly, and you lean your hips into his touch. with a grin he bends down and presses his lips gently against your ass cheek, and you moan when his teeth graze your skin. “just relax for me, baby, that’s it…”

he begins easing the toy past your entrance, just a little bit at a time until it's fully enveloped inside you. you've played with plugs before, but somehow the stretch is like nothing you've ever felt. knowing that this time you've got a cute little bunny tail attached sends a new wave of desire throughout your body.

with one finger he carefully pulls your panties back into place to cover you up, admiring the fluffy tail that protrudes from your hole. it really does complete the outfit, and he smiles at his own thoughtfulness, proud of his handiwork.

you wiggle your hips to test it out, adjusting to the feeling of its weight stuffed inside of you. minghao's hand comes down hard on your ass and you yelp, bucking away from him in surprise. immediately you feel his hand gently touch your stinging cheek, rubbing small circles to massage the pain away. "fuck— sorry. don't know what came over me." he says, voice gravelly. "you just… you look so fucking good right now, baby. you make such a cute bunny."

your face flushes as the initial shock fades, and you push your hips back towards him encouragingly. "it's okay. you can do it again, if—if you want."

he grips your waist and pulls you against him, and you whine as you feel his hard length grinding into your ass. "if i'd known you'd like that, then i would have bought the matching paddle with the ears and the tail too," he groans. "this is why you gotta speak up, baby. gotta tell me what you want so i can give it to you."

you bite your lip and bury your face into the pillow, ears burning in embarrassment, but you quickly lift your head again when you feel his hand leave another sharp smack on your ass. "mm, mm, don't hide from me now, love." he tsks in disappointment, his voice laced with fake sympathy. "you wanna be an obedient little bunny for me, don't you? well-behaved bunnies get rewarded." 

you start to answer, but he runs his cock against your clothed pussy and your head falls back down into the pillow instinctively, letting out a muffled string of moans. his tip teases you, pushing the lace into your wetness and back out again. "what was that, baby? i couldn't hear you."

you scrunch your nose and raise your voice, though it still only comes out as powerful as a squeak. "i said, i'll be good!"

he grins and squeezes your ass with both hands before he pulls your panties off all the way, tugging them down your legs until the thin fabric bunches up at your knees. he drags his cock over your dripping entrance again as you clench around nothing.

“hao,” you whine softly. you tilt your hips backwards to try and push him inside, but he leans back out of your reach. 

“be patient.” he runs his hands along the curve of your ass, bending down to come face to face with your aching cunt. “think i’ll eat this pretty pussy first instead. is that what you want, hm? give me a nice view of your cute little bunny tail while i make you cum all over my tongue?”

you whimper in reply, hiding your face in embarrassment as you lay on your stomach with your ass pushed into the air, proudly displaying your glistening arousal.

with his hands on either side of your hips he pulls you towards his waiting mouth. you gasp into a moan when his lips latch onto your clit, his tongue flicking at the sensitive spot as his nose prods against your entrance.

he presses his tongue flat against you, licking upwards before pulling away. it was happening so fast, too fast, and you wanted more. you needed more. but you should’ve known better than to think he would give you what you want that easily.

“feels good?” he hums, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand.

“please, hao,” you moan. “need you. please, i’ll be good. just don’t stop.”

he scoffs lightly, his face next to your cunt but still too far away for your liking. “and why should i do that? are you gonna behave next time and tell me when you want something?”

“mhm,” you nod weakly. “i will. promise. please, minghao—”

“that’s my good girl. now just let me take care of you, hm?” he presses his lips against your ass in a kiss and you whimper when he begins sucking, hard enough that you know it’ll leave a bruise later. once he’s satisfied he sits back up to his knees, reaching over to pat your head between the ears of your headband. “don’t you worry your fuzzy little head about a thing.”

you let out another moan at his words, relishing in the way he talks about you. it gets you going more than you could’ve ever imagined, and you love him for the way he’s embraced this so wholeheartedly, falling into the role so easily that you’re cursing yourself for ever trying to hide.

he slides back down behind you, using his thumbs to spread your folds apart to give him easier access as he pushes his tongue into you. you can feel yourself growing wetter every second that passes, coating his lips with your slick as he eats you out like a starving man.

he directs his attention away from your clit, tracing his tongue up until it reaches the underside of your tail and the tip of the plug poking out. just like he’d predicted the metal is warm now, heated by the warmth radiating from your holes.

he smooths his hands over your cheeks, kneading them with his slender fingers and pushing you back further into his face. his tongue darts out to lick around the edges of the toy in your ass, and you can’t help but squirm in his grasp as his mouth wanders between your legs, briefly moving back down to suck at your clit before licking upwards again.

your thighs tremble, feeling so much stimulation in ways you'd never knew possible. he traces his tongue over your pussy, dipping into your entrance before he sits back on his knees. 

“you think you deserve to cum now?” he says, and even though you're facedown in the mattress you can still hear the teasing lilt in his voice. “has my little honey bunny earned it, do you think you've been a good girl?”

you're so fucked out already you can barely speak, but you know he wants you to beg him before he'll actually do anything. so you collect yourself and twist your head to look over your shoulder, bunny ears flopping against your back and the most pleading expression you can muster. “mhm… please? been such a good bunny for you.” you prove your point by wiggling your hips, shaking the little tail plug that sticks out of your ass back and forth.

he groans, hands squeezing your waist tighter. he can tell how much you wanted this, how much you're enjoying this, and who is he to deny you any longer when you've been so well behaved? “mm, alright.” he leans down over your back to kiss your shoulder, brushing your hair and your floppy ears out of the way. “gonna let you cum on my cock now, is that what my baby bunny wants?”

you nod eagerly and let out a yip as he finally sinks into you. you swear you've never felt this good in your life as he starts to fill you up, your walls stretching to accommodate his length.

“so fucking tight,” he groans through gritted teeth when he finally bottoms out, his cock buried in your heat. “clenching so hard, i can barely move.”

“minghao—” you plead out his name, desperately trying to fuck yourself on his cock but his grip on your hips is too strong to let you have even a little bit of control.

he stays still for a minute to give you time to adjust, but that doesn't stop him from playing with your tail and tracing his fingers teasingly along your lower back, relishing in the way it makes you shiver and moan his name louder.

finally when neither you nor him can take it anymore, he starts to slide out of you, groaning at the way his shaft is already coated in your slick. he's not sure you've ever been this wet for him before— and you haven't even cum yet.

it doesn't take long for him to build up his pace, propelled by the sight of your cute little tail bouncing with each deep stroke. he spreads your cheeks apart to watch the spot where his length disappears inside you and groans, an idea hitting him as he digs his fingertips into your hips. “fuck, baby— want me to video this? you look so fucking good taking my cock, wanna let you see yourself.”

your walls clench around him faster than your lips can whimper out a “yes”. god, the thought that later you'll get to watch yourself, kneeling on the bed in your pretty lingerie getting fucked like the slutty little bunny you've always wanted to be? it's your biggest dream come true.

he gradually slows down his pace so he can reach over and grab his phone off the nightstand, fingers fumbling with the buttons to start the recording. he shifts his phone into one hand and uses his other to push down on your lower back, forcing you to arch up more for him. 

his long fingers wrap around your side as he starts to thrust into you again, pulling you backwards to meet his cock with each stroke as he builds back up to a brutal pace. he holds the camera up by his chin to make sure he captures a full view of the scene, your pretty ass pushed into the air as a constant stream of whimpers and whines escapes you.

“look at my pretty bunny,” he pants out, squeezing your hip even harder as he fucks into you, knowing everything he says will be immortalized for your pleasure when you watch this together later. “look at you. so good for me, aren’t you?”

you moan out something unintelligible that sounds like a yes, and he rewards you by fucking you harder. he grins and moves his phone closer to your ass to get a better view of your pussy, close enough to see the glint of metal poking out and the way your muscles contract around both it and him with every thrust.

his eyes rake over your body, occasionally glancing at his phone screen to check the video. after a minute he stops the video and tosses his phone aside, quickly moving both hands back to grip your hips so he has more leverage to plunge into you more deeply. your arms give out from the force and you fall forward against the bed, whimpers muffled by the sheets that you grip so tightly to stay grounded to.

one of his hands suddenly leaves your hips and you feel his fingers tangle in your hair, gasping as he jerks your head up again.

“c’mon, baby,” he says, winding his hand around your hair until it tugs your scalp. it burns but it feels so good, sending a shiver down your spine as he pulls on you. “you’ve been so good for me, don’t ruin it now. you can take it. isn’t that right, bunny?”

“fuck,” you whimper as you strain your neck backwards, your tits pushed against the lacy front of your lingerie as you arch your back. “i can—i can take it. please… please.”

his other hand slides up your stomach, pulling you to sit upright with your back against his chest. if it weren’t for minghao’s grip on you, you doubt you’d have even been able to hold your head up on your own, let alone the rest of your body; his forearm wraps around your chest, holding you flush against his body. you swear he’s never fucked you this hard before in your life, slamming his hips into you so hard you already know you’ll be feeling this for days afterwards, his pace never tiring.

minghao is good at giving you what you want, but you’ve always been able to retain at least a little bit of control even in your most fucked out state. but tonight your head is reeling, mouth hanging open with not a single coherent thought running through your mind. maybe it’s the thrill of being “caught”, of him finally figuring out your secret fantasy and letting you play into it.

your first orgasm catches you off guard, overtaking you with no warning. you double over in minghao’s arms as you writhe against him, clenching so hard that even he can’t keep up the pace. his hips stutter as he struggles to continue thrusting, barely managing to even stay inside of you as your muscles contract and try to force his cock out from your pulsing walls.

“go on, baby, let go for me,” he breathes in a low voice against your ear, holding you tighter to keep you in place. “such a good bunny, cumming all over my cock.”

“cu—cumming!” you manage, and you squeeze your eyes shut as another wave slams into you.

he curses under his breath as he snakes his hand down the front of your body to toy with your clit. “fuck— that’s it, baby. let me have it, give me more. such a good girl.”

you lean your head back against his shoulder with another broken moan, all the tension suddenly leaving your body in a rush. the bed is soaked, his thighs are soaked, your pussy is soaked, but you can't stop. his fingers don't stop either, rubbing fast circles on your clit as you squirt.

after what seems like an eternity of cumming you claw at his fingers on your clit, weakly trying to pull his hand away. “h-hao,” you moan, your voice cracking. “wait. stop—”

his grip on your body loosens and he moves his hand before pulling out of you slowly, his cock still hard and aching and his heart pounding with adrenaline. immediately his tone is softer, keeping his voice quiet beside your ear despite his heavy breathing. “what is it, love, what do you need? can you tell me?”

you lean your head back to rest against his shoulder, your body shaking as you try to catch your breath. it’s hard. you can barely think straight from so much stimulation all at once, your head still cloudy from such intense orgasms back to back, and it takes a long few seconds before you can string together your thoughts. “just… need to slow down.” you find his hand on your thigh and squeeze his fingers with all the strength you can muster. “but don’t wanna stop.”

he exhales and turns his head to place a gentle kiss on your cheek. “okay, sweetheart. just let me know. i’m here.”

he knows he was getting a little carried away, but he wasn’t expecting this to get him so riled up. even after he’d figured you out and put his plan into motion he hadn’t once thought about how he felt, so focused on making sure you’d be happy with him.

he’d spent hours online looking for the perfect outfit for you, pretty lingerie that would be comfortable yet still make you feel as beautiful and sexy as you are to him. if only he hadn’t wanted it to be a surprise, because he kind of wishes you’d been able to see the grin on his face when he’d picked out the cutest little tail and ears to match.

he never considered how much he’d enjoy seeing you in the outfit, maybe even more than you, the lace hugging your body as you whimper and whine so cutely for him. if anything, he knows he's definitely going to get his money's worth out of your pretty costume set, because he's already planning out in his mind the next time you'll get to do this together.

you hum his name softly and it brings him out of his head, looking down at your hazy expression. this is still sort of new to him, but he’ll figure out how to handle it. he’s good at that.

“do you wanna lay down?” he asks, fingers tracing up and down your sides and gently toying with the fabric of your bra as he holds you against his body.

you hum in agreement and turn over in his arms, letting him slowly guide you onto your back as he hovers on his hands and knees above you.

you tug at your ears headband and toss it away, and instinctively his hands begin smoothing over your hair to carefully massage your scalp. “uncomfy?” he asks as your eyes flutter shut, a sweet smile on your face at his soothing touch.

“after a while, yeah,” you say softly, leaning your head into his fingertips. you open your eyes slowly, finding his face just inches above yours. “i’m still your bunny?” you ask a little shyly, watching his gaze.

he smiles and leans up to kiss your nose, a habit of his that now means so much more. “mhm. cutest bunny i’ve ever met. and she’s all mine.”

you can feel his throbbing cock resting atop your stomach, and you sigh out his name, reaching up to pull him down to meet your lips. “minghao…” you lift your hips a little, whimpering quietly in response when he groans from the pressure.

“ready to go again?” he breathes, and at your nod he positions his cock back at your entrance, pushing in slowly. the stretch is easy this time and it doesn’t take long before he bottoms out again, bending over you to leave kisses all over your face as you readjust to him. 

you wrap your legs around his waist and pull him closer, whining softly as you squeeze his bicep to try to get him to move. even just having him completely still inside of you feels incredible, but you're eager for more, almost insatiable for him. you don't want this to end just yet.

“god—” he chokes out, thrusting once into you so deep that it makes your head spin. “i'm gonna cum if you keep doing that. not gonna last much longer.”

maybe he’s delirious from so much in one night, but minghao swears you clench harder when he says that. you shake your head, trying to pull him even closer. “don’t care. just want you to fill me up, please?”

he lets out another groan, long and low as he pushes his hips in and out in a slow but steady rhythm. “oh, is that what you want? you want me to breed you? pretty bunny wants to be full of my cum?”

between his dirty talk and the feeling of his cock pulsing inside you, your mind goes blank, and all you can manage is a squeak and a nod and a prayer that he’ll figure it out, how badly you want him to do exactly that. despite everything he’s already given you tonight, you’re absolutely desperate for it, and if you could recall words and sentences right now you would’ve started begging him like your life depended on it.

luckily for you he knows you just as well as he says he does, because he adjusts his hips and thrusts deeper into you, his cock angled upwards to hit you just right with every stroke as filthy words spill from his lips.

“gonna fuck you so full,” he huffs, and you stare wide eyed at the sweat dripping down his cheekbones as he pounds you into the mattress. “taking it so well, gonna breed you like my bunny deserves, stuff you so full. my pretty little bunny, always so desperate for me…”

he doesn't stop, his words beginning to ramble as he focuses all his energy on thinking about your pretty eyes and the sweet, fucked out look on your face that he knows you always get when he cums inside of you because he knows how much you love it.

“please… please,” you whimper, your fingers gripping onto his shoulders so tight, and you know he's right at the edge. each stroke fills you completely, and the pressure from both his cock and the plug still inside you makes you dizzy with pleasure.

minghao buries his face in your collarbone, biting down to muffle his groans as he cums. your own mouth falls open in a gasp as you feel his cock jerk against your walls, pulsing with each thick rope of cum he releases inside. his breath catches in his throat and forces his cock deeper, his pelvis firmly pressed against yours as far in as he can possibly go. 

with shaky hands and even shakier breaths, you wrap your arms around him and hold his head against your chest, your heart still racing as you come down together. he doesn't try to pull out yet, laying down on top of you and letting his weight cover you. you whimper softly as you feel his cum seeping out of you, running down the backs of your thighs. 

after a minute he sighs, looking up at you to make sure you're still okay. “was that alright?” he asks, but your lazy grin tells him all he needs to know.

“love, hey.” he tilts your chin to make you look at him, brushing his thumb against your cheek to make sure you're paying attention. “promise me one thing. next time, just tell me if there's something you wanna try. okay?” he says. his tone is still quiet and gentle, but you can tell he's serious. 

as fun as it is to play this game, he'd much rather you just come to him and talk about it, even if you think it's silly or stupid. he knows it's hard to talk about things you want, but he feels comfortable enough to tell you anything and he hopes one day you'll feel the same, without him having to pry.

“mhm,” you hum sincerely, smiling in contentment at the soft feeling of his fingers on your skin. “i will.”

despite your mumbled voice he can tell you're being genuine with him, and he rewards you with a gentle kiss.

you giggle and run your fingers through his hair, basking in the warm, fuzzy feeling that radiates both inside and out. “so… next time you're gonna wear the outfit, right?”

he laughs and kisses you again, happy that you seem so satisfied after everything. “well, that depends on whether or not you've been a good bunny.”

i hope you enjoyed this!! if you did, consider reblogging or leaving a comment or an ask :) it shows me this is something people want to see more of, and knowing people like this makes me want to write more of it! thanks for reading!!

Countless thoughts are flooding your mind as you pace around the living room of your apartment, debating whether to call him or not. If he really wanted to break up with you, wouldn’t you be sending yourself to death’s door by calling him?

Sighing, you bite your lip and decide to text him instead.

you [22:12]: talk about what?

Almost immediately, your ringtone blares through the speakers of your phone, and you nearly drop the phone in shock. Sure enough, the caller ID reads your boyfriend’s contact name, and you sigh in dread, taking a seat on the couch and mentally preparing yourself for what’s about to come.

“Hello?” you say as soon as you pick up, your heart rate picking up.

“y/n,” Minghao replies, his voice stern yet soft, like he can’t bring himself to be fully angry at you.

There’s silence for a short while, and you feel like you’re going to explode any second.

“Are you…” you break the silence, nearly trembling, “are you breaking up with me?”

On the other end of the line, you hear something drop. “What? No, y/n, I’m not breaking up with you. What made you think that way?”

“You- you sounded really scary in your texts,” you mumble, internally relieved that your boyfriend isn’t planning on breaking up with you.

“Text messages don’t carry tone in them, silly,” Minghao chuckles.

“I heard you went to the hospital. From Mingyu,” Minghao pipes up after a moment of silence, and everything clicks in your head.

You had indeed been to the hospital the day before upon suddenly passing out while hanging out with Mingyu’s sister, who’d sent you to the emergency room immediately out of fear that something serious had happened to you. Thankfully, the reason why you’d passed out had been due to fatigue, and you subsequently begged her not to tell anyone about it, despite her objections.

You’re guessing that she had told Mingyu about it, which you don’t blame her for, and that’s how you’ve ended up in this situation now.

“I did,” you reply simply, looking down at your feet.

“Are you feeling better now? What happened?” Minghao asks immediately after your reply.

“I’m okay now, it wasn’t serious,” you assure your boyfriend, “The doctor said it was due to fatigue.”

“Are you not eating and sleeping well?” Minghao replies with yet another question, worry laced in his voice. “Should I move back in?”

You start to panic a little at the idea of Minghao coming back to live in your shared home, seeing as to how he had moved to the dorm temporarily to prepare for their upcoming comeback, quickly refuting, “It’s okay, Hao, I’m okay! I think I just skipped a few meals because of work, I’ll make sure to have my meals regularly!”

Minghao pauses, then hums in response, seemingly not satisfied with your answer.

“Why… didn’t you tell me? I could’ve been there,” Minghao’s voice becomes softer, and you sense a bit of hurt in his tone, breaking your heart a little.

“I— I didn’t want to worry you, Hao,” you began, eyes downturned, “You have a concert and a comeback coming up that’s more important.”

“Nothing’s more important than you, y/n.” Minghao replies without missing a beat, catching you by surprise. “I’m your boyfriend, y/n, you can talk to me if anything happens. What if- what if something serious had happened, and I wasn’t there?”

Minghao’s vulnerable tone breaks your heart, and you frown at his words. Throughout your relationship, such a situation had never happened before, and thinking in his perspective, you completely understand why he’s upset, making you all the more upset at your actions.

“I know, Hao, I- I would want you to let me know if anything happened to you, too. I’m really sorry.” you apologise, wishing he were physically beside you so you could hug him.

Minghao sighs, clearly not wanting to escalate the issue for no reason. “It’s okay, darling, just let me know in the future, hm? I love you.”

“I will, Hao. I love you too,” you reply like it’s second nature, because it is.

A comfortable silence ensues for a while, the two of you at ease knowing that your hearts beat for each other despite the physical distance.

“Also, I’m moving back in. Comeback preparations are more or less done, anyway, and I believe making sure a certain someone eats regularly is much more important,” Minghao jests, and you hear some rustling in the background. “I’m on the way.”

You chuckle. You really don’t know what you did to deserve this man, but you know you won’t be letting him go anytime soon.

a/n 2: i’ve come to a realisation that i’m an absolute horror at writing endings LOL

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"Ugh, I feel like shit," You mumble groggily, your body drifting and hitting the bathtub right next to you with a thud as the sounds of the toilet flushing bounce off the walls of the bathroom.

Jeonghan just crosses his arms together, leaning against the doorway with a sly smirk to his face. His eyes peer over your flushed face, slightly tousled hair and overall cute, disheveled appearance. You huff a breath as your gaze meets his, and a small, almost dreamy smile of your own forms on your face despite knowing how absurd you look right now.

"How do I look?" You ask, drawing your words out drunkenly.

"Honestly?" Jeonghan starts, and you lift a brow in anticipation. "You look ravishingly awful."

The words that leave his mouth has your face twisting in confusion, your brain hardly processing whatever the hell he just said (you'll take it as a compliment nonetheless, thanks to your cloudy mind).

However, Jeonghan just chuckles, fully stepping his way into the bathroom and towards where you are plopped down on the tile floor. He carefully sits himself down on the rim of the bathtub, expression softening right away with concern as he reaches out to gently brush a stray strand of hair from your face, feeling the warmth on your face from the alcohol to his fingers.

You lean into his touch instinctively, closing your eyes for a few seconds. "My body is going to hate me in the morning."

Jeonghan retracts his hand slightly, but not before his fingertips lingers your cheek, sending a jolt through your already-buzzing body and causing your eyes to flutter open. You can feel the heat creeping back up your neck, suddenly feeling shy under his gaze.

"Hmm, not if I take care of you real well, yeah?" he muses teasingly, and you could only groan in response, feeling the alcohol earlier make your head spin once more. But a tiny, sober part of you registers the warmth in his gaze.

That is, until you can start to feel something bubble up your throat, and before you can react, your stomach lurches, and you're scrambling for the toilet just in time to expel the contents of your stomach. You heave and retch, feeling utterly miserable as Jeonghan helps by pulling back your hair and rubbing your back soothingly.

As the wave of nausea passes, your hand releases its hold on the cold porcelain of the toilet seat. You lean back once more, nearly toppling over before Jeonghan's hands catch you by the shoulders, helping to straighten up your posture. You let out a sluggish sigh.

"Well, maybe you're not wrong about your body hating you," he says jokingly, then squeezes your shoulders right after as if reassure you. "I would not want to be the receiving end of all... that."

You roll your eyes in playful annoyance and yank his grip off you, his laughter ringing in your ears. "I... Shut up, you love me. Why else would you be here, taking care of me while I hurl into a toilet?"

A feigned gasp leaves Jeonghan as he dramatically clutches his chest. But the inebriated glare you throw his way doesn't seem to faze him in the slightest. You catch the way his face quickly dissolves into his horribly distinguishable shit-eating grin.

"Ah, you figured out my secret, my dearest," he responds with an exaggerated flair, cupping your face gently with his hand. "You getting wasted made you more perceptive than I thought."

You swat at him weakly, a smile tugging at the corners of your lips. "You're impossible."

"Only for you." He cheesily presses a kiss to the top of your head. "How are you feeling? Can you stand up?"

"Mmmh... help me?" You laggardly open your arms up to him, a pout forming at your mouth.

Your eyes are too heavy to catch the way Jeonghan is gazing at you so adoringly right now. He takes your outstretched arms and helps to hoist you up to your feet. For a moment, you're eye-to-eye, your head spinning slightly from the sudden movement and the world tilting a little as you stand.

Jeonghan secures a hand at your lower back as he carefully leads you out of the bathroom and back into your bedroom, catching a glimpse to the remains of the party from earlier scattered about the room. Balloons hang lazily at the ceiling, confetti laying across the floor𑁋you can deal with it in the morning.

"You're a hot mess," he comments teasingly, though there's a fondness in his tone as he guides you to the bed.

You flop down onto the mattress with a groan, the softness of the pillows cushioning against your throbbing head. Jeonghan disappears for a minute to retrieve a bottle of pills from the bathroom and a glass of water from the kitchen, placing it on your bedside table before sitting down beside you, his hand reaching out to brush hair away from your forehead.

You crack open an eye to look at him, feeling yourself trying so hard to not fall asleep on the spot.

"Do... you think they know?"

Jeonghan looks back down at you. "Who?"

"Every... Everyone who came today, uh..." You mutter, motioning the air with your hand. "I didn't... do anything weird out there, right? We haven't really told anyone about us yet..."

Jeonghan purses his lips together, eyelids fluttering as if he's trying to remember the events of the party. He crosses his arms together, and you should probably know from the smirk appearing at his face that𑁋

"Hm, like, weird as in when you tried to kiss me earlier after you sang karaoke? Or𑁋"

"Are you being serious right now?!" There's a long, drawn out unintelligible sound that you whine as you bury your face into the pillow, the cool fabric soothing against your flushed cheeks. "Oh my god, I'm so stupid..."

"My love, I still don't entirely understand why we have to hide it," Jeonghan says gently, his fingers trailing lightly along your arm. "Your affection is pretty obvious, you know."

You snort at that, but you can't really deny it anyway since yeah, you are pretty affectionate with him. And it isn't that you don't want people to know. The thought of people knowing is completely fine, but it's really just that your friends can be absolute nutcases sometimes, and you really don't want to be at the teasing end of the stick right now when all you want is a bit of privacy, at least in the beginning.

"I just... I want you all to myself, you know?" You ramble drowsily, words still slightly slurred. "Just wanna... um, keep this between us for now. N-Not that I'm ashamed or anything, I just... want this to be ours."

Jeonghan lets his eyes take you in for a few moments, a soft look gracing over his features. He glances down at the way his hand seems to seems to instinctively find yours, your fingers intertwining loosely. Frankly, he’s already yours𑁋been yours from the moment the thought of you started to become a frequent visitor to his head.

"Of course," he assures lightly, not taking his eyes off you even while adjusting the pillows so you're in a more comfortable position. "Get some sleep now, okay?"

"M'kay," You utter out, feeling the weight of the bed lift when Jeonghan stands up. Yet as a thought crosses your mind, you call out to him, "Jeonghan?"

He pauses, turning back to look at you with gentle eyes.

"I... I do love you, you know," You confess slowly, almost hesitantly, like that small flicker of sobriety had finally peeked through the haze of alcohol. "Even if I'm shit at showing it."

Jeonghan feels his heart racing in his chest, and the heat flaring at the tips of his ears. On the surface, it's normally hard to detect such reactions to whatever loving, cheesy, romantic stuff you've said to him (since usually, he'd rather tease you into the grave instead). But on the inside, his heart is practically doing cartwheels, somersaults, and backflips all at once𑁋he would quite literally do anything for you.

"Are you going to remember any of this in the morning?" he remarks playfully.

You only shrug loosely, eyelids drooping from exhaustion. "I might... maybe. But, uh, at least you know, right?"

His lips just curl up lovingly. Even if you don’t remember it, those three words would be the first things he would say every morning anyway.

"I love you too, angel," he says against the skin of your temple. "Happy birthday."