Kait’s Creations

”Hey Jagi! I gotta show you these pictures I just took of my canvas with the sunlight all over it. It’s really pretty!” He says happily in greeting. There’s a pause and Hyunjin frowns when he hears you take in a shaky breath before your voice rings out softly over the phone.

”Oh, that’s great Hyune.” You say softly and Hyunjin immediately knows that something’s wrong. He knows you just broke up with your asshole ex-boyfriend who you caught talking to other women behind your back. Hyunjin had just been at your apartment this past weekend helping you through the breakup and packing up your ex’s things that he had left in your apartment. He’s immediately on alert wondering if your ex had done something else to mess with you.

”Jagi, what’s wrong?” He asks you in a soft coo knowing that even if your ex was a cheating asshole you were with him for years and he can’t imagine having that type of betrayal happen all of a sudden and have his world upended.

”He took him, Hyune. He took Needles.” You gasp out softly and Hyunjin immediately scowls darkly at your words.

”Tell me everything.” Hyunjin instructs you as he quickly stands from his stool and begins grabbing his things before walking out of his art studio while still listening to you tearfully tell him what your ex did.

”I was on my way home when one of my girlfriends sent me a screenshot of his social media. He had taken a picture of Needles in his carrier case with a caption saying that he was taking him to some place where some could take care of him the right way.” you said in a rush as your breath hitched and caught in your throat.

”Breathe Jagi. Did the idiot broadcast where he was taking Needles?” Hyunjin asked as he walked into the living room of his apartment where Changbin was sitting on the couch playing a video game.

”I’m still getting updates from my friend. Hyune he’s on social media bragging about what he did.” You said worriedly and Hyunjin nodded his head at your words. “Okay, breathe. Knowing your idiot ex he’ll spill the details on where he took Needles and we’ll be able to get him back. Don’t worry.” He told you softly through the phone as Changbin looked up worriedly from his game. “Wanna go rescue a hedgehog?” He asks Changbin with a wicked grin on his face just as Changbin turns off his game before standing from the couch and grabs his keys.

”Absolutely, let’s go.” Changbin says softly with a wicked grin of his own.

”This is a crime,” Hyunjin says into the phone, his voice low and dangerously dramatic as he and Changbin walk out of the apartment together and head to their car. “Actually, no. This is worse, this is betrayal even more so than what he did to end your relationship. This asshole.” Hyunjin says angrily as he gets into the car with Changbin quickly. “Tell me, has he given up the details?” He asks as Changbin carefully pulls out of the parking lot and heads onto the road.

”Not yet, he’s still going on about how he didn’t do anything wrong and how I was wrong to dump him.” You say distractedly before you gasp. “Hyune! He took him to a wildlife agency about an hour away from my apartment!” You cry out in dismay.

”Jagi, get the name of the place and I can call them on Changbin hyung’s phone.” Hyunjin says urgently.

”Okay, okay, hold on.” You say hurriedly before making a triumphant sound. “Seoul Wildlife Animal Preservation Rehabilitation Agency.” You cry out happily before there’s muffled noises on the phone line. Hyunjin easily looks up the place while Changbin drives and soon he finds the phone number for the place. “Hyune, I’ve got my paperwork for Needles ready, I just need to be picked up.” You tell him in a rushed, worried tone.

”Okay, hold on Jagi.” Hyunjin says reassuringly to you just as someone picks up the call on Changbin’s phone.

”Wildlife Animal Preservation Rehabilitation Agency, how can I help you?” Says a soft spoken woman over the phone.

”Hi, I was wondering if anyone had recently brought in a small hedgehog today? My best friend’s ex-boyfriend is bragging that he stole her hedgehog out of her apartment and dumped the poor little guy at your agency.” Hyunjin explains with hope that he has the right place.

”Let me check, hold on one second.” The woman says and Hyunjin can hear a computer keyboard clacking in the background. “Oh! In fact there was a tiny hedgehog dropped off here earlier today.” The woman says surprised. “If you’re able to show proof of ownership we will gladly return the hedgehog to your friend.” She tells him happily and Hyunjin thanks her profusely before letting her know that they’ll be there shortly since they’re on their way now.

”Jagi, they’ve got Needles. We’re gonna be at your apartment in five minutes and then we can go to the wildlife agency.” Hyunjin explains and you begin to sob over the phone. “Relax, Jagi. We’re going to get him back.” Hyunjin reassures you just as Changbin makes a turn closer to your apartment.

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When the three of you get to the wildlife agency Hyunjin flanks your side like a man on a mission, his energy is sharp but controlled and all of it is anchored around making sure you’re okay. You’re still sniffling from the whole ride to the agency where you cried in Hyunjin’s arms in the back of Changbin’s car. He had spent the whole ride reassuring you that you’d be reunited with your little hedgehog that you loved dearly. 

He had never understood how you could become so attached to a little rodent with prickly needles all over his body but ever since you got him three years ago the two of you had been inseparable. You had easily spoiled that little guy until he was as pampered as any animal could be. He had his only luxury cage with the softest bedding that you could buy, multiple levels of tunnels and slides for his entertainment, two separate exercise wheels, and the highest grade of hedgehog food that you personally prepared for him every morning and night. You even bought him adorable little clothes and hats that the little rodent seemed to love. Hyunjin had to admit he found it absolutely adorable how excited you got every time you bought something new for Needles, you would have to do a whole mini fashion shoot and then send all the pictures to Hyunjin to show him. It made his heart warm with fondness whenever you shared your joy over the hedgehog with him. And while he couldn’t understand your love with the prickly little guy he could see how deeply you cared for him and that made Hyunjin happy to see you so happy.

You, Hyunjin and Changbin all waited at the front desk as the woman who Hyunjin spoke on the phone with went into the back to grab Needles and his little carrier case that your idiot ex left behind with him when he dumped him here. She had made sure to check the paperwork you had on Needles thoroughly before agreeing that Needles was yours. Changbin frowns softly as he looks around the front area of the agency while Hyunjin cradles you against his side protectively.

”Jagi, how did your idiot ex get into your apartment to get Needles anyway?” Hyunjin asked suddenly as his mind drifted back to the audacity your ex had.

”I forgot he had a spare key to my apartment.” You said softly causing both Changbin and Hyunjin to look at you sharply and you ducked your head. “In the mix of it all it totally slipped my mind. But I’ll go get a new lock tomorrow, I asked for the day off after I found out that he came by and stole Needles from my apartment.” You explained and tried to reassure them both.

”Absolutely not.” Changbin said resolutely and you looked at him with widened worried eyes. “We’ll stop by the hardware store on the way home and buy you a new lock. Me and Hyune can have a sleepover at your place tonight. I don’t like the idea that he might try and get into your apartment again.” Hyunjin felt his heart warm at the protectiveness Changbin felt towards you and he nodded his head in agreement before silently promising to repay Changbin for his kindness.

”Thank you.” You said softly to Changbin who smiled warmly at you as he nodded his head.

”It’s nothing, gotta take care of my wife’s girl.” Changbin said teasingly and you laughed at him while shaking your head as Hyunjin stared at Changbin with wide eyes as his hyung smirked at him softly. Changbin’s eyes darted down to where Hyunjin had a tight hold on you before looking back up at Hyunjin, as if to say don’t mess it up now, which just made Hyunjin flush embarrassedly. Before he could do anything to try and dissuade Changbin from his thoughts the woman stepped out from the back area cradling a tiny curled ball of needles to her stomach which caught all of your attention.

She brings him over to the counter and gently rests him down on top of it. Hyunjin watches with silent baited breath as the little guy slowly uncurls from his tight ball protective position. His tiny nose twitches and his little feet rest against the counter top before he turns his head slowly as if he catches a whiff of your scent. When he spots you he instantly starts making little squeaky noises in what sounds like distress before he books it over to you with a speed that Hyunjin has never seen before. 

Hyunjin turns and sees tears spilling down your face as you coo at the little hedgehog before scooping him up into your hands and cradling him close to your chest. You’re careful with him but there’s a sense of desperation in your movements as you press him close to your chest as he snuffles into your hands like he’s been waiting for this exact moment. Hyunjin gasps softly, full cinematic hand-to-chest gasp as he watches the reunion before him. The amount of love coming off the two of you is palpable and he feels it completely as he watches with wide teary eyes. He steps close to you and wraps his arms around you gently.

”See?” He whispers softly to you. “He knew you’d come back for him.” Needles lifts his head from your chest for a moment and sniffs the air around Hyunjin before sneezing loudly and suddenly. His tiny sneeze absolutely shatters the serene sweet atmosphere which makes you all chuckle softly at him. “Even his sneeze is filled with emotions.” Hyunjin says dramatically and you roll your eyes at him before resting your head on Hyunjin’s chest softly.

”Thank you Hyune. For helping me when I started spiraling.” You thank him softly and Hyunjin feels his chest fill with pride at being there for you.

”Of course Jagi.” He tells you warmly as he cuddles you close while you hold Needles protectively. “I’ll always be here for the two of you.”

Changbin is immediately reminded of you, his best friend who was going through a really rough break up from your toxic ex-boyfriend. He remembers the day you called him sobbing into the phone barely being able to get any words out. He had been in the studio with Chan when your contact had come up on the phone and he had answered immediately, normally you wouldn’t call him when you knew he was busy in the studio so the fact that you were calling him had tipped him off that something was wrong. And when you had come over the line sobbing so hard that you could barely speak, ice had raced down his spine.

He had managed to calm you down enough to the point that you could now explain to him that you and your boyfriend had finally broken up the day before after all of your issues together. But the asshole had been sneaky, and after moving all of his things out of your shared apartment the day before and before you had been able to change the locks on the doors he came back into your apartment using his key and took your tiny anxious chihuahua named Mochi and had brought him to an animal shelter and refused to tell you which one.

Changbin had felt his heart drop at your explanation, he knew how much you loved that crazy little dog. The two of you were bonded so deeply that nothing could pull you apart. Once you had finished explaining what had happened Changbin was immediately up and in action. He had explained to Chan what was going on and soon Chan was calling the rest of the kids to come help. Felix and Han had tried contacting your ex to find out if he’d brag about what he did to them. Seungmin and Hyunjin had gathered you and an overnight bag before moving you to Changbin and Hyunjin’s apartment so that you didn’t have to be alone. Minho and Jeongin had gone to the hardware store and immediately bought different locks so that they could change them out for you so that your ex wouldn’t be able to come back into your apartment without you knowing. Changbin and Chan had started putting in detective work to find out if there were any recent chihuahua surrenders in the local shelters.

It had been a few weeks since that happened and unfortunately none of you had been able to find Mochi and Changbin was starting to worry about you. Your mental health had taken a sharp dive after everything that you’d been going through with your ex, he wasn’t being the nicest person on earth during the break up or the aftermath of it and Changbin could see it all starting to take a toll on you. Plus the fact that you hadn’t been able to find Mochi yet and your ex still refused to tell you where he had dumped the poor dog was wearing on you even more. He had wanted to have a few choice words with your idiot of an ex but you and Chan had talked him off the ledge with the thought that it’d probably make more trouble for you than anything else. So Changbin had been keeping a copy of your registration paperwork for Mochi on him at all times and whenever he had a chance he would stop by any animal shelter and see if Mochi had been dropped off there.

As his eyes linger on the animal shelter on the side of the road he second guesses about stopping. He didn’t think your ex would drive this far to drop off Mochi or if he would be in that much effort to take your dog away from you. But as his mind wandered to the nights you would stay in when he would invite you out to dinner or a hangout with just a simple text of I don’t want anyone to see me like this, he thought better of it and put on his blinker to turn into the parking lot of the shelter.

Walking in he can see that the shelter is well kept but very small, his hopes of finding Mochi aren’t high to begin with but they lower even more as he looks around the front lobby. He spots a woman walking into the area behind the desk from the back and she looks up at him surprised to see him. A smile slips widely across her face as she greets him.

“Good Afternoon! Can I help you with something?” she asks kindly and Changbin nods his head slightly as he walks up to the desk.

“My best friend’s boyfriend surrendered her dog to a shelter during a breakup and I know it’s a long shot because this shelter is so far from where he lives but I just had a feeling to check just in case.” he explains and the woman frowns softly at his words before she begins nodding her head eagerly.

“Oh, that’s horrible! Your poor friend, I can’t imagine having my dog taken from me like that. Do you have the dog’s registration paperwork?” she asks softly and Changbin quickly pulls them out of his back pocket and hands them over to her. He watches as she looks over the paperwork before typing in information into her computer. “Let’s see….” she says softly as her eyes dart around the screen. “Oh! We received a small chihuahua about a week and a half ago!” she said excitedly as she clicked on the entry and began reading. “Yup, the dog was surrendered by a young man who didn’t provide much information. There’s literally no information on the dog in our system. Here I can show you a picture of him that we took because he looks like the picture on the registration paperwork but it looks like his fur was dyed.” she tells Changbin.

Changbin looks up at her earnestly as his heart thuds heavily in his chest, hopeful that he has finally found Mochi for you. She waves him back behind the desk and Changbin peers over at her computer screen with squinted eyes. The dog on the screen is small and scrawny, which is Mochi’s M.O. but the fur is all wrong, it looks as if he was dipped in dark paint and then washed until the fur was just lightly tinted with the new dark shade. Changbin scowls softly as he looks at the dog on the computer screen.

“Is there a way for me to see the dog physically? I can’t tell by the picture but he does have a tattoo on his underbelly, he was a rescue from a puppy mill and has a registration number tattooed on him.” Changbin says softly.

“Oh! Yeah of course. C’mon I’ll walk you back there.” She tells him helpfully and Changbin nods his head as he follows her to the back of the shelter where they keep the dogs. 

The back area is loud and chillier than the front office as he walks into it and he frowns softly wondering if Mochi has been living in this for almost two weeks now. He’s hopeful that the dog on the screen is Mochi but after seeing how bleak the back of the shelter is, he's hoping that it’s not Mochi. The tiny anxious dog that you got five years ago wouldn’t have made it in this type of environment, he was too attached to you to start with but also you spoiled that dog completely as if he was your tiny furry son. You had five different sweaters for the dog in different colors and styles but all of them were heavy enough to keep the dog warm. As Changbin looked around the area with all of the cages he didn’t think Mochi would survive this for very long.

Just then the woman came to a stop in front of a cage halfway down the aisle and Changbin frowned once again seeing how the cage was surrounded by larger dogs on either side. He peered into the cage and saw a small ball of short fur curled in the corner and his heart thudded heavily in dismay at the sight of the small dog. Changbin crouched down  as he watched the small dog shift in his curled up position. Changbin gives a soft whistle that he normally would let out whenever he saw Mochi at your apartment. 

Suddenly the dog perked up and whipped his head up at the sound before his large eyes landed on Changbin and he let out a loud whine. He quickly rushed at the cage whinging and crying out to Changbin and Changbin’s heart shattered at the little dog’s antics. The woman cooed softly at his side as she gasped.

“Hey Mochi…” Changbin greets the dog on the other side of the cage door. “It’s okay bud. I’m gonna get you out okay?” he tries to reassure the dog who’s just devolved into loud whines and crying. “That’s Mochi, but if you need to double check we can look at his tattoo.” Changbin says to the lady.

She nods her head and easily unlocks the cage door allowing Mochi enough room to escape the cage and fly right into Changbin’s arms. Changbin chuckles softly as Mochi begins to shake uncontrollably in his arms before he shifts the dog in his arms and raises his leg to see his underbelly. And there lies the tattoo of the breeder registration number. The woman checks it with the registration paperwork before nodding her head and starting to guide Changbin back to the front desk to begin the paperwork of releasing Mochi to him. 

“I’m glad you stopped in. Now Mochi and his owner will be reunited.” she says wistfully and Changbin grins while he nods his head. When they get to the front desk Changbin sets Mochi on the counter and snaps a quick picture before picking the shivering dog up in his arms once more, cuddling him to his chest. Mochi nestles his head under Changbin’s chin while Changbin sends a text to the boys’ group chat with the picture of Mochi letting them know he found Mochi and is bringing him home. All of their responses are cheers and elations of happiness about Mochi being returned. But Chan’s text is the one that sticks out the most to Changbin. She's going to be so happy that you found him and brought him home to her.

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It’s late when he finally makes it back to Seoul. He had stopped off at a pet store halfway on the drive so that he could pick up a few things for Mochi so that you wouldn’t have to worry about having them. He even managed to find a cute sweater for the still shivering dog to dress him in so that he stayed warm. He had sent you a text that he was stopping by with take out so that he could make sure that you ate something and just to check in with you. You had tried to deter him from stopping by but Changbin had pushed and told you he’d feel better if he could stop by and just spend some time with you. You had relented and told him to just let you know when he got here so you could buzz him in.

After being buzzed up to your apartment Changbin with his arms laden with dog food, toys, treats, take out and Mochi made the walk up the stairs to your apartment. Once he was in front of your door he knocked and waited for you to come and let him in.

“Changbin, you have the door code. How many times have I told you that you can just come in.” you say exasperatedly as you open the door. Mochi’s head lifts from Changbin’s chest and he’s suddenly loudly crying once more at the sound of your voice. You stare wide eyed at the two of them, Changbin laden with everything in his arms and Mochi crying for you as Changbin tries to keep a sturdy hold on him so that he doesn’t fall. “Oh.” you gasp out and quickly reach out for Mochi.

You step back as you pull Mochi into your chest and begin sobbing heavily. Changbin smiles softly as he walks into your apartment and steps over you and Mochi as you slip to the floor with your back to the fall as you cry along with your dog. Changbin sets everything down in your kitchen before returning to the two of you to crouch in front of you. You’re clutching Mochi to your chest as you sob and the poor dog is moving at the speed of light as he tries to get as close to you as possible in your arms.

“Told you I’d find him.” Changbin says softly and suddenly you’re lurching forward tackling Changbin to the floor along with you. Mochi is pressed between the two of you as he yips happily at finally being home as you continue to sob. Changbin chuckles softly and happily wraps his arms around you holding you close while you try to slowly calm down. Changbin runs his hand up and down your back soothing you as sob loudly still, all of your emotions on the break up and then losing one of the most important beings in your life due to your ex consuming you. 

”Argh!!!” Minho cries out in pure barely controlled irritation. “I told her we would be practicing late tonight!” He cries out angrily as he seethes in place still listening to your ringtone blare out of the speakers in the room.

”Maybe something’s wrong Minho.” Suggests Changbin as he looks worriedly from Minho back to where his phone sits on the counter at the back of the room.

”Yeah, that’s been like the fifth time she’s called within two hours.” Seungmin recounts and Minho scowls softly through the mirror at the two men before he huffs loudly and then marches back towards his phone which falls silent and the track fills the room once again. Minho pauses for a second before he growls in aggravation as your ringtone cuts the track off again. He continues on his path back to his phone and grabs it from the counter swiftly answering the call.

”Jagi, I told you I’d be practicing late!” He snaps angrily at you hoping to curb whatever nonsense you’re about to spout at him. But what follows makes his blood run cold. Your sobbing fills the room through the speakers and every one of them freezes.

”Minho…he, he, he, he…she’s gone…Minho.” You’re babbling around your gut wrenching sobs and Minho can barely understand anything that comes through the speaker as your sobs consume you. You’re crying so hard that he’s instantly worried that you’re going to make yourself hyperventilate.

”Jagi. Breathe for me. Whatever it is, we can fix it. Just breathe. Please.” He implores you softly, already softening as he hears how heartbroken you are. He doesn’t know what’s going on but for him to figure it out he knows he needs to calm you down. “I can’t help you if you don’t calm down and tell me what happened.” He tells you softly. He knew you were supposed to be home tonight after work, normally you would be going over to your boyfriend’s house but lately you two had been having issues and you had suggested a break to cool down and recalibrate before meeting up again. Minho had thought you should’ve just dumped him already but he knew you wanted to try everything before ending the relationship. He always teased you for your big heart, but now hearing you sobbing over the phone he wondered if something terrible had happened.

”He took her, Minho. Tofu, he took her and he won’t tell me what shelter he took her to.” You managed to get out as you sucked in deep lungfuls of air. Minho’s mind goes blank and he hears ringing in his ears at your words. Tofu, was your fluffy rescue cat that you’ve had since you moved into your own apartment alone. Minho had actually helped you pick her out when you had told him that you wanted to adopt a cat so that your apartment didn’t feel so empty and lonely. She was an elegant fluffy thing with mostly white long fur that had gray speckled marks sparsely scattered throughout. She was a lovely cat and had made you so much happier when you adopted her. Minho had seen the connection immediately and had been all too happy to help you get her settled in your apartment.

”Oh. I see.” He says in a scary calm tone as his mind turns inward to how much he wants to hurt your boyfriend.

”He…he called me an hour before I left work. Told me it was over…then sent me a picture of Tofu in his car!” You cried out as sobs consumed you once more. “Min, what if I can’t get her back?” You asked softly as you hiccuped loudly over the line. The way your voice sounded so broken and sorrowful made rage begin to bubble up within Minho. How dare your ex take away your beloved cat! How dare he know exactly where to hit you and make it hurt!

”Jagi, I want you to try and relax. I won’t let him keep Tofu away from you. Let me take care of this. I’m gonna send Felix, Hyunjin and Jeongin to you okay? Just breathe until they get there.” He instructs you easily before hanging up the call even though it pained him to hang up on you. But he needed to make another phone call that was urgent.

Minho then turned to the boys behind him who all stared at him with varying degrees of worried shock and surprise written on their faces. They all knew how much Minho cared for you and the fact that he had helped you pick out Tofu all those years ago had made her an extension of his own babies in his mind.

”Felix, Hyune, and Jeongin-ah, I want you to go to the hotpot restaurant down the block from Jagi’s apartment and ask them to make her regular order and anything else you guys want to eat. Put it on my card, they’ll know what to make. Then go stay with her and make sure she’s okay.” Minho instructed with a calm lethalness that made the three men immediately nod their heads and quickly grab their things before heading out. 

“Chan, Seungmin and Changbin I need you to start reaching out to all our mutual friends to find out if Jagi’s idiot ex bragged about what he did today. He’s probably run his mouth to someone he was never a modest man to begin with. I need to know which shelter he took Tofu to.” Minho said with barely restrained anger. The three men quickly nodded their heads and pulled their cell phones out to begin calling all of their mutual friends that they shared with your ex-boyfriend. 

“Han, I need you to grab every laptop we have in this studio and help me start searching all of the local shelters for a picture of Tofu. She’s a very pretty cat, Jagi took great pride in fixing her fur and skin issues when she first got her. So they’ll want to put her on their websites quickly so she'll get a lot of attention to be adopted.” Minho said through gritted teeth. Han quickly nodded his head and began rushing around the room gathering all of the laptops and placing them on the counter at the back of the room. Minho moved over to them as well before firing up the search engines and quickly typing in local shelters to start looking for Tofu. As he began looking through each website he called you on his cellphone to keep you company as he worked behind the scenes to search for Tofu.

”Hey Jagi. I’m here. Now tell me everything this idiot ex of yours said to you today.” He said softly to you and gritted his teeth as you cried over the phone to him about what your ex did.

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An hour later Minho is striding through one of the most well known kill shelters in Seoul with a curled upper lip. He had to give props to your idiot asshole ex, the man knew how to twist the knife that he already stabbed in your back. Not that Minho would ever tell you where he found Tofu, he wouldn’t want to break your heart even further than it already was. He knew that you were being well taken care of by the three members he sent your way. Those three would be able to keep you distracted enough that you wouldn’t be too distraught over what had happened and it would give Minho enough time to rescue Tofu and bring her home safely to you.

”Yes? May I help you?” Asks the man at the front counter as he raises an eyebrow at Minho’s approach. Chan follows in behind him quickly, a little out of breath since Minho had practically left him idling his car in the parking lot before making a bee line for the front door of the facility.

”Sorry, about him he’s a little intense right now because of the situation.” Chan explains as he tries to catch his breath after running after Minho. “There’s a cat here who was brought in under false pretenses. One of our friend’s ex-boyfriend stole her cat and brought it here.” Chan explains and the man nods his head with a soft sigh as if he has seen this happen all too often. Minho watches him with a slightly twitching eye.

”Do you have proof of ownership of the cat?” The man asks politely and Minho easily whips out his phone and shows the man the digital copy of Tofu’s adoption paperwork that he had saved there just in case.

”I also have it in hard copy form too.” Minho says helpfully in a cool tone as he slips a manila folder out of his messenger bag. “I’m listed as an emergency contact on the paperwork.” He informs the man as he hands over a copy of the adoption paperwork to him.

”Can I see your I.D. Please?” The man asks Minho who easily provides his I.D. To him. The man looks at the paperwork and then at the I.D. And sighs softly before nodding his head as everything checks out. “We get this a lot. There’s a lot of bitter vindictive exes in the world.” The man says disheartenedly before he stands from the desk. “Wait here one moment I’ll go get her.” He tells them.

It barely takes five minutes for the man to gather Tofu and get her into a carrier case for them to take her home but Minho is still anxiously pacing the whole time it takes him to get her. When he hands the cardboard carrier case over to him Minho peers into it with a soft shushing coo to your anxiously meowing kitty.

”It’s okay, Tofu. I’ve got you. I’m going to take you home now. She’s been so sad without you.” He tells Tofu who only meows pitifully at him as she recognizes his voice.

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By the time Minho, Chan, Changbin, Seungmin and Han make it to your apartment it’s late. So late in fact that you’ve fallen asleep on Felix while being cuddled by Jeongin and Hyunjin as your favorite comfort movie plays on the television in your living room. Minho unlocks your front door with his spare key already making a mental note to put in a request tomorrow to have your apartment’s locks changed since your ex had a spare key too. He gently sets the cardboard carrier down on the floor just inside the door and when Tofu meows woefully from inside you stir sleepily in your spot. You slowly sit up on your couch and rub your eyes wearily as your bottom lip wobbles.

”Min” you cry out softly as tears begin to fall down your face again. “I can hear her crying and she’s not even here.” You say sorrowfully just as Felix wraps his arms around you comfortingly.

”No Jagi,” Minho begins to explain as he opens the container and gently pulls Tofu out and cradles her against his chest. “I brought her home.” He finishes softly and suddenly you’re stumbling from the couch as sobs escape you. You crash into him and he easily steadies you as Tofu meows loudly in relief at seeing you once again. 

“Oh Min!” You cry out before you suck in large gasps of air and devolve into nothing but loud sobs.

”I know Jagi. I know.” He tells you softly as he wraps his arms around you and Tofu tightly. He cradles the both of you in his embrace while peppering kisses to your hairline as you continue to sob and Tofu meows. “Your ex doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air as animals.” He says darkly, causing Seungmin to scoff softly behind him by the door.

When the call connects it's so quiet that Chan thinks that you called him by accident but then he hears your voice shaking so badly that he can't make out what you're trying to say at first. He hears you take in unsteady breath before you try again to explain to him what was going on.

“Ch-chan, I-I can’t find Chunk.” you gasp out and Chan frowns softly at your words wondering if it was just another instance where he escaped his cage and found a new hiding spot in your apartment. 

Chunk, your spoiled, overly fed, round, and slightly judgmental hamster was always escaping his cage no matter what you tried to do to keep him inside. It happens so often that when you don't call him at least once a week saying that you couldn't find Chunk in your apartment or in his cage, Chan starts to worry. Chan could even remember the first time you had called him when Chunk made his first escape. It was the second night after you had adopted him from the local pet shelter,  you had panicked so badly that you had driven yourself into a tizzy about him being hurt somewhere in your apartment. You had even started to degrade yourself on being a horrible pet owner for not being able to find him. Chan had showed up to your apartment more worried about you than the hamster but he had ultimately been the one to find the hamster curled up in your pantry munching on a bag of almond nuts that he had found. That night had started the epic rivalry between Chan and the spoiled little hamster.

“Hey, calm down. Remember, check all of his normal spots in the apartment and then start branching out for new spots.” Chan said softly trying to calm you down as he heard the hitch in your voice. He knew how much that damned Hamster meant to you. Ever since you adopted him a year ago he had become something comforting to you, something that you could connect with whenever you felt lonely. And he was a thorn in Chan’s side. That hamster had stolen his spot in your life and while you always reassured him that he hadn’t every time he saw you cuddle that hamster close on your stomach or chest he knew. That beady eyed little rodent had moved up the ranks above him in your mind. He truly had never thought that he’d have to fight a tiny barely 5 pound rotund rodent with cute little chubby cheeks on a daily basis to be in your life but here he was.

“I did. I-I did Chan. I went th-through all of his n-normal spots. Then I-I checked new ones around the apartment. B-but he’s not here!” you wailed softly. 

“Okay, calm down, I can leave the studio and come help you find him.” Chan offered softly and your breath stuttered over the phone causing him to worry more about you. “Jagi? What happened?” he asked quickly knowing that something had caught your attention.

“Chan.” you whined softly and Chan instantly worried that you had found Chunk in your apartment dead from an overdose of mixed nuts. That hamster could give Changbin a run for his money in regards to eating whenever nuts were involved.

“What? What happened?” he asked worriedly. A soft hiccup came over the line as he pressed the phone closer to his ear. “Jagi, c’mon tell me what’s happened.” he pleaded with you.

“Min-Jun just texted me.” you said, sounding eerily calm all of a sudden making the hair on the back of Chan’s neck stand at attention. Chan flinched at the mention of your recent ex-boyfriend who you had just broken up with a week ago.

“What? Why would he be texting you? I made sure he got all of his things out of your apartment last week.” Chan said with a frown forming on his face.

“He took Chunk.” you said softly and Chan’s blood ran cold as his mind began to race.

“Jagi, how did he get inside your apartment to steal Chunk?” Chan asked in a deadly quiet tone as anger began to course through him. Your soft cries filled his ear and he felt his heart start to break for you.

“He’s br-bragging.” you choke out softly. “S-says he kept a second sp-spare key. Came in when I was at work and took Chunk to a shelter.” The ice that had run through Chan’s veins now heated into molten lava as he gritted his teeth in rage at you and your home being violated by your cruel petty ex. “He won’t tell me what sh-shelter.” you wailed softly and Chan could hear how devastated you were.

“Jagi breathe.” he said softly as his eyes darted back to his laptop as an idea popped into his head. He moved closer to the desk, suddenly more alert than ever before as he booted up his bubble account. He easily logged into it and began typing out a message to Stay.

Hi Stay! I hope you’re all doing well tonight. I need your help. One of my best friends had her hamster stolen from her apartment by her cruel ex while she was at work today. I need your help trying to find the little guy, he’s very important to her. Here’s a few pictures of him. If any Stay work at some local shelters in Seoul please let me know if a hamster looking like him was brought in I would be forever in your debt.

Chan knew it was a long shot but he also knew how quickly Stay could mobilize into a force of reckoning. He only hoped that they could provide him with an answer that could help you. In the meantime he began cleaning up his things and starting to pack them away so that he could drive over to your place and help keep you calm.

“Jagi, I’m leaving the studio now. I just need to let Changbin and Han know that I’m leaving and then I can be on my way to you. Will you be okay if I hang up?” he asked worriedly as he slipped his laptop into his bag.

“Chan, what if I can’t find him?” you asked softly and woefully.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find him. Don’t respond to your ex anymore, just put him on DND and I’ll be there soon okay?” he tells you before making sure that you would be okay until he got there. 

As Chan walked through the company building towards the dance studio where the rest of the members were gathered for dance practice he got a notification on his phone about a message on bubble. He had set up a filter for any messages from Stay that mentioned the word shelter, when he looked at the notification it had filtered at least twenty messages with that word alone. He quickly skimmed through some of the messages as he came up to the door for the dance studio.

Walking inside without knocking his eyes alight on a message from a Stay who said that she worked at a local animal shelter located about a half hour away from your apartment and a small round hamster had been brought in earlier today looking very scared and depressed. The Stay had even shared a picture of the hamster in the message. Chan zoomed in on the picture and relief flooded him as he saw that the hamster was in fact Chunk. He could pick out that little menace out of a photo line up if he needed to. 

“Hyung? Everything okay?” asked Felix as all of the rest of the members stopped dancing and looked over at Chan.

“Jagi’s ex stole Chunk from her apartment while she was at work and took him to a shelter.” He told them, causing Hyunjin, Felix and Jeongin to gasp out loudly at his words.

“Not Chunk!” Jeongin burst out angrily as he stared at Chan with worried eyes. “Is there anything we can do to help?” he asked hopefully.

“I asked Stay on bubble if anyone in the Seoul area who worked at animal shelters had seen a hamster come in recently. It's a long shot but there’s one message that sounds promising.” Chan said and the boys all nodded their heads. “I’m going to go grab Jagi and take her to the shelter to see if it’s actually Chunk.” he told them and each nodded their heads in response to him.

“If you need anything, call us, okay?” Felix offered and Chan quickly nodded his head at them before smiling softly.

“Thanks.” he said warmly before turning on his heel and heading out of the dance studio to head to your apartment.

┈┈┈𐩑 ○ 𐩑 ✧ ☾ ⚬ ☼ ✧ 𐩑 ○ 𐩑┈┈┈

When he gets to your apartment he tells you quickly to get dressed and grab any paperwork you have on the adoption of Chunk. You’re confused and heartbroken about your stolen hamster but Chan has a pretty good inkling that the message from Stay was of Chunk and he wants to get you to the shelter before it closes. He knows it’s late but he wants to get you there as quickly as he can.

The drive feels like a lifeline to him, he’s got one hand steady on the steering wheel while the other is gently squeezing your hand whenever your breath hitches in your chest as emotions swarm you.

”What if it’s not him?” You ask softly, he had explained to you what he had done and how he had already gotten a promising message.

”Then we expand our search. I’m not going to give up until we get Chunk back.” He reassures you softly, his tone is grounding and certain and he watches as you slowly relax back into the passenger seat as you take comfort in it.

”You swear?” You ask him quietly and he smiles before releasing your hand to make an ‘x’ over his heart.

”Cross my heart.” He promises to you and you smile wistfully at him.

When the two of you make it to the shelter, Chan walks in holding your hand. He steps up to the front desk and the two young women sitting behind it look up at him with wide surprised eyes as you stand beside him anxiously biting your lip.

”Hi. I was told that there was a hamster recently dropped off here and I’d like to see if it’s actually a hamster that my friend here adopted a year ago. The hamster was dropped off here by someone who didn’t have the right to do that and we’d like to take him home if it’s him.” Chan explains as he turns to you. You jolt into action as you present the adoption paperwork that was signed a year ago and show the women pictures of Chunk.

”Oh my gosh, so it really was true what you wrote on bubble?” One of the women asks as her eyes dart from him to you while they soften with emotion.

”Yes, were you the one to send me the message that a hamster was dropped off here?” He asked her, causing her to nod her head.

”Yeah, let me go grab him. He looks just like your pictures you have here.” She says to you and your face lights up slightly which makes Chan sigh in relief. The wait once she disappears into the back isn’t very long but it still sets you on edge. Chan turns to you with a soft furrow of his brow.

”Hey.” He says softly, catching your attention and you look over at him tiredly. He can see how stressed you’ve become over all of this and he’s instantly worried about you. Not only did you ex come into your apartment after you had broken up with him but he had also stolen your beloved hamster to then dump him at a shelter all to hurt you. “C’mere.” He says just as softly as he reaches out and tugs you into his arms. “I promise we will get Chunk back and everything will be alright. I’ll make sure of it.” He reassures you and you nod your head as you sniffle softly before resting your forehead on his chest while he hugs you tightly.

”Thank you Chan, for everything.” You thank him quietly and he hugs you tighter.

Just then the woman comes walking back out and she’s cradling a small round bundle of fur close to her body as she walked up to the desk. You turn to watch as she gently places the hamster on the counter top of the desk and for a split second, the tiny fluffy menace just sits there processing. Until he looks up at both you and Chan and recognizes you. He scurries forward at top hamster speed, which is still modest, but emotionally devastating in Chan’s eyes. He practically climbs over the woman’s hands to get to you as he squeals in a high pitched tone. 

You on the other hand are silently crying as you instantly scoop him up and cradle him to your chest. Chan watches with a warm fond smile on his face as he sees Chunk nuzzle into your palms and then into your chest as if he was reclaiming his rightful throne. Chan turns to the woman after a moment making sure that you and Chunk were okay and happily reunited.

”Thank you so much for your help. I can’t thank you enough. If you contact the company and let them know that you helped me with my hamster problem I’ll make sure to set aside two VIP concert tickets for you and a friend to our next concert in Seoul.” He tells her appreciatively and she smiles warmly at him before nodding her head. When her eyes cut to you and Chunk as the two of you still reunite she softens before looking back over at Chan with a raised eyebrow. Chan flushes as he sees her eyes dart from you and then back to him a few times but he keeps his mouth shut not wanting to draw any attention to him or what he was feeling right now.

Stepping closer to your side Chan slips an arm around your back pulling you into his chest slightly. His actions make Chunk pause in his nuzzling against your chest. Chan watches amazed as the little hamster lifts his head and sniffs the air as he turns to Chan. And then in front of you and the two women at the desk the little rodent who Chan once thought of as his arch nemesis for your attention reaches out his tiny paw towards Chan. Chan blinks for a moment in silent awe as you coo at Chunk’s movement before cutting your still tear soaked eyes to Chan expectantly. Chan easily reaches out and gently taps Chunk’s paw with a crooked finger. Chunk squints his eyes up at Chan as his nose wiggles making his whiskers dance as a soft squeak slips out of him before he nuzzles back into your chest and promptly falls asleep against you.

”Guess I’ve finally been accepted as an equal.” Chan says softly in awe as he lets out a quiet laugh while his eyes crinkle at the edges. He feels as if the tiny round hamster staked his claim on him with that one gesture and oddly enough he’s not mad about it. In fact, it warms his heart and gives him hope that when you’re finally healed after the shit that your ex put you through, maybe you’ll give him a chance to show you how love is done right. If Chunk has accepted him maybe it will help his cause when it comes to you.

After getting you back into his car with Chunk still knocked out on your chest he makes a quick detour on the way back to your apartment, because of course he does. He has plans to upgrade Chunk’s entire cage setup so that your tiny little escape artist has more than enough room to keep himself occupied and not want to escape anymore. He picks out better bedding, better snacks and tiny luxuries fit for a king who survived betrayal.

You sit on one of the mound seawalls next to Dowoon who’s staring out across the water under his own wide brimmed hat while idly tugging on his fishing pole, hopeful to catch something. It’s peaceful and serene around the both of you causing you to kick your feet out childishly as you grin widely. You love days like this where you can just spend quiet time with Dowoon doing whatever strikes your fancy. Today Dowoon had planned to take you out fishing along the shoreline just to be able to reconnect together after being separated by opposing schedules.

Turning to your side you place your fishing pole in the holder that Dowoon stuck in the ground next to you and then lean back on your hands reclining back to enjoy the warmth from the sun. Dowoon flicks his eyes over to you with quiet curiosity before turning his attention back to his fishing pole. Your eyes drift over his broad back and a smile flits over your face softly as you gaze at him quietly.

“You gonna keep looking or take a picture?” he asks you teasingly without looking back at you. You grin at him before chuckling softly, you shift and lean into his side playfully which makes him grin softly as well.

“It’s free to look at my handsome boyfriend. In fact, I think it’s my job to ogle and moon over my handsome boyfriend.” you tease him causing him to scoff softly at you as he ducks his head in embarrassment of your praise.

“Ogle and moon over?” he teases you as he looks back at you while you grin up at him.

“Of course. You’re so handsome, how can I not?” you ask him in a faux offended tone. Dowoon rolls his eyes at you but shifts closer to you settling you firmly into his side without saying anything.

You glance over the sand and dune grass around where you’re both sitting and spot a few sprigs of Sea Lavender growing in a clump of dune grass. You reach over and grab some, pulling it from the sand and into your lap. The flowers are tiny and purple and their petals look like they’ve burst from the crooked stem like little pretty fireworks. Twirling the stem between your fingers for a moment your eyes follow the pretty purple colors as they swirl in your vision as a soft smirk slips onto your face.

“He loves me…” you begin and pluck the first petal from the first small flower. Dowoon glances over at you and his eyebrows lift ever so slightly.

“Why are we trusting the flower with that answer?” he asks you dryly already knowing your game causing you to pout softly at him.

“Let me have my fun.” you gently scold him and he chuckles softly before shaking his head. “It’s tradition! Sacred, ancient, entirely scientific.” you insist and he barks out a laugh of incredulity at your words.

“I highly doubt it’s scientific.” he murmurs quietly as he hums low in the back of his throat, clearly unconvinced. He turns and places his fishing pole in its holder and leans back on his hands in the sand to watch you closely as a soft smirk tugs on his lips.

“He loves me not…” you continue on with a dramatic flair. Petal number two falls softly onto your lap and you reach up again to pluck the third. The next two petals fall with rapid succession with each answer from the flower. “He loves me…He loves me not…”

Dowoon’s eyes narrow ever so slightly as his lips press into a thin line of concentration. He doesn’t say anything, but the slight tension slipping into his posture betrays his deep suspicion. You pick up the pace, the motion of your fingers plucking petals both chaotically and oddly hypnotic. The seagulls screech in the distance above you both, completely oblivious to the drama unfolding on the beach.

“He loves me…He loves me not…” you count out for petals five and six letting them fall into your lap with the others that now create a pretty mosaic of plucked petals. Only one petal remains now, and it clings stubbornly to the stem as though it has a personal vendetta against you and Dowoon’s love for you. You pause for dramatic effect as your fingers pinch the petal, Dowoon’s eyes narrow slightly before darting down to your lap and then back up to the stem in your fingers. “He loves me.” you say with flourish and pluck the petal from the stem and let it cascade through the air down to your lap.

“You cheated.” Dowoon says softly as he smirks at you. The words land on the dune sand beneath you like an objection in a trial causing you to gasp out loudly at him.

“I would never, sir!” you cry out dramatically and he leans in closer to you with that knowing smirk on his face.

“I watched it in real time honey. You were slick but not that slick.” he teases you softly. He then raises a hand and points to each petal in your lap. “He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not.” he says after pointing to each petal, his eyes following from petal to petal in your lap before darting back up to yours with a sparkling knowing reflected in them. “You plucked double on one of the turns.” he accuses softly, his voice is low and dangerous as your mouth drops open slightly. For a second you consider denial, outright, shameless courtroom-drama denial and then you grin wickedly.

“Objection,” you shoot back at him lifting your chin like you’ve just been personally appointed as judge, jury and menace. “That’s speculation. Conjecture. Vibes-based accusation.” you argue. Dowoon huffs a laugh through his nose, slow and disbelieving, like you’ve just insulted his intelligence and he’s deciding whether to be offended or impressed with your methods.

“I saw it,” he repeats. His voice is quieter this time as he leans closer until his shoulder presses more firmly into yours. “Right there, two petals one motion. That’s fraud.” he accuses you as he points to the petals in your lap while his grin is impossibly wide on his face.

“Wow,” you breathe out as you press a hand to your chest. “You think I'd manipulate a sacred, ancient, entirely scientific system?” you ask him haughtily and his eyes sparkle with challenge.

“Yes.” he says immediately as his head begins to nod.

“You didn’t even hesitate!” you cry out in faux outrage as you squint at him.

“Because I know you.” he says confidently. There’s something annoyingly soft tucked under his words, it’s wrapped in that dry delivery like he didn’t mean to let it slip out but you latch onto it anyway.

“You know me?” you echo, tilting your head at him as your smile turns sharp and playful. “And what exactly does that mean, huh?” you challenge him.

“It means,” he says, reaching over and flicking the fallen petals off your lap, “you hate losing.” he finishes as he leans closer to you until your faces are only inches apart.

“I do not hate losing.” you argue with him sounding scandalized at his perception of you.

“You absolutely do.” he counters with a wicked grin slipping across his face.

“I just prefer winning.” you argue and he laughs softly at your words.

“That’s the same thing.” he tells you and you shake your head quickly.

“It is not.” you argue causing him to raise an eyebrow at you. You raise one right back in retaliation and he smirks at you. A beat passes between the two of you, the breeze stirs again tugging at the edges of your hats and scattering the tiny purple petals across the sand like bits of confetti from a very low-budget parade. Dowoon’s eyes dart away from you to watch the petals scatter across the sand.

”Look at that,” he murmurs as he nods his head toward the mess you’ve made. “Evidence trying to escape the crime scene.” You scoff before nudging his shoulder with yours.

”Oh, please. Even the wind is on my side.” You tell him haughtily as you lift your head slightly in the air.

”The wind isn’t on your side,” he shoots back quickly as he turns his head to look at you again. “The wind just doesn’t respect integrity.”

”My integrity is flawless.” You gasp out, your hand flying to your chest again like he’s just personally offended your ancestors.

”Your integrity just plucked two petals at once.” He says in a deadpanned tone.

”That was a technique!” You argue with him.

”That was cheating.” He counters with a smirk.

”That was innovation.” You insist heatedly.

”That was fraud,” he repeats and this time he’s closer to you. Close enough that the teasing edge in his voice starts to blur into something warmer, something that hums low under your skin. You notice it, of course you do. When it comes to him you always notice it.

”And what?” You press him as you lean in just as much as he is, refusing to give him the upper hand. “You’re the authority on love now? Should I consult you instead of the flowers next time?” You ask teasingly, trying to rile him up.

”Yeah,” he says easily as his eyes drop to your mouth for a half second before flicking back up. “Probably more accurate.” He states teasingly. 

“Oh? So you do have an answer.” You say sounding surprised as your grin sharpens delightedly.

”I always have an answer.” He tells you confidently.

”Confident,” you hum out to him. “Dangerous.”

”Realistic.” He counters and you roll your eyes playfully at him.

”Arrogant.” You say challengingly.

”Right.” He says firmly.

”Annoying.” You huff at him grinning.

”Still right.” He tells you again and you huff out a laugh at him while shaking your head, but you don’t pull away from him. Neither does he, in fact, the two of you are so close that the space between you has shrunk to something fragile. It’s thin and charged between you two. The breeze from the water drifts through again, softer this time, like it knows better than to interrupt.

”So what is it then?” You ask him to challenge him, your voice is quieter no but no less playful. “Since you’re apparently the expert. Does he love me or not?” Dowoon’s jaw ticks just slightly and his gaze drops once more, this time lingering on your mouth and when he looks back up there’s less sarcasm in his gaze than before. Not gone, just thinned out.

”You really need a flower to tell you that?” He asks softly and something in his expression shifts, it’s subtle and quick but it’s there. Like a thread pulled too tight. You tilt your head to the side watching him and waiting.

”Say it,” you prod sweetly knowing that you’ve got him. “I dare you.” His eyes drop to your mouth again and this time they don’t leave.

”Yeah, he does.” He says quietly and then he’s kissing you. The kiss isn’t hesitant or particularly gentle either. It’s like he’s been arguing with you using words and suddenly decided those weren’t working anymore and needed to argue with his actual lips.

His hand comes up to your jaw, thumb brushing just under your ear as he pulls you closer, tilting his head to deepen the press of his lips to yours. The world stops and tilts off axis around you with the incessant glide of his lips against yours, the heat of the sun, the salt in the air, the distant cry of seagulls all blur into background noise and atmosphere.

For a second, you forget how to be sarcastic which is frankly impressive to you. Your fingers curl into the front of his loose shirt, anchoring yourself to him as you kiss him back just as fiercely. You match his energy beat for beat as the two of you become engulfed in the flames of your love for each other. Sand shifts under you both as you lean into him, laughter almost bubbling up in the middle of it because of course this is how it happens.

Not with a confession but with an argument that combusts. When he finally pulls back, it’s only just enough for you to breathe. His forehead rests gently against yours as his hand is still warm against your face. You blink up at him, a little dazed, and a lot pleased. Then your grin creeps back in.

”Did you just kiss me to shut me up?” You ask him, your voice a little breathless but still very much you. Dowoon doesn’t even look guilty.

”Yeah.” He says. You stare at him for a quiet moment and then you burst out into incredulous laughter.

”Oh, so this is your version of manipulating the outcome?” You ask him amused as you throw his previous accusation back at him and he smirks at you slowly while leaning back into you.

”Yeah.” He says simply and your breath catches in your throat.

”That’s your big strategy? Just kiss me until I’m distracted from what I was saying before?” You ask him.

”Works better than flowers,” he says unapologetically while glancing at your mouth again like he’s considering proving it a second time.

”Debatable. Flowers have a certain charm.” You hum out to him and he grins wickedly at you.

”I have better odds.” He tells you confidently.

”Cocky.” You accuse him.

”Accurate.” He corrects you which makes you smile, softer this time as something warm settles in your chest again.

”So what’s the official result then?” You ask quietly as you nudge his forehead with yours. “Since you’ve apparently replaced the entire system.” He exhales through his nose, eyes flicking up to meet yours. There’s that softness again within him, that certainty that makes him confident and bold in his feelings for you.

”That I love you,” he says, like it’s obvious. Like it’s been obvious the whole time. “Even when you cheat.” He adds on cheekily at the end and it makes you grin widely.

”Even when I cheat?” You ask him curiously.

”Especially when you cheat.” He corrects dryly. You laugh at him before brushing your nose against his lightly.

”Good. Because I’m not stopping.” You warn him and he smiles at you.

”I know.” He responds softly.

”And you still love me anyway?” You question him which causes him to roll his eyes, but his hand tightens just slightly where he holds you.

”Yeah.” He mutters simply and you beam at him, entirely too pleased with yourself.

”Wow,” you sigh out dramatically. “Obsessed and devoted. That’s crazy.” You tease him.

”You’re still talking.” He points out and your whole body warms from the inside out at the low tone of his voice when he speaks.

”And you’re still in love with me.” You tell him. He studies you for a second like he’s debating something. Then he leans in again, brushing his lips against yours in a softer, quieter kiss this time.

You sit across from Kim Wonpil, your boyfriend of three years, who has his elbows on the table and his chin resting on his hands while his eyes are half-lidded in delighted curiosity as he watches you softly talk to a little girl who wandered over to your table from the table her mother had claimed when they came in. The little girl is showing you the flowers that she picked on her walk with her mother to the coffee shop this morning and you’re cooing softly at her array of pretty flowers.

“Oh look how pretty this one is.” you say softly to her and she giggles brightly as you pick up each of the flowers before twirling on between your fingers at her.

“C’mon honey, we have to go now. Say bye bye to the nice lady.” her mother calls out gently to the little girl and both you and Wonpil pick your heads up at her words. You help the girl gather her flowers while smiling before waving to her. “Thank you so much for entertaining her.” her mother says warmly to you and you easily wave your hand goodnaturedly.

“Of course, she’s so cute. I couldn’t resist.” you tell her mother and she beams happily before she holds her hand out to her little girl. Wonpil watches warmly as the little girl turns to her mother before rushing back to you and hands you one of her flowers proudly. “For me? Oh, thank you so much!” you gush at her thankfully before waving at her and her mother when they turn and walk out of the coffee shop. Wonpil smiles fondly at you, feeling the warmth that you always manage to create in every situation and feels himself melting even further with affection for you.

“You made a new friend, huh?” he asks teasingly and you grin at him from across the table as you nod your head.

“Yup, she was adorable. Wasn’t she?” you gush to him and his smile grows on his face as he nods his head in agreement. He watches as you twirl the flower between your fingers with a soft warm smile on your face. As the flower spins in between your fingers he watches as something sparks behind your eyes and excitement grows on your face. It’s a cute small little white daisy with slightly crumpled petals from the little girl’s grip earlier. Wonpil feels his eyes widen as he watches you pinch one of the petals and pluck it cleanly from the flower. “He loves me…” you murmur warmly with a soft wistful smile on your face before letting the petal fall to the table between you.

“Hm? What’s that?” he asks you curiously as he raises an eyebrow and leans forward slightly to get closer to you. You grin brightly at him as your eyes sparkle and he feels himself being drawn into your little chaos that you’re about to create.

“Science.” you tell him excitedly and he chuckles softly at your antics. “A very important test.” He hums thoughtfully at your words as his eyes narrow just enough to show you that he’s assessing whether you’re joking or not.

“Important I get. But I doubt that’s science. More like chance.” he argues softly and you just grin at him before pinching another petal on the flower.

“He loves me not…” you murmur quietly and petal number two lands softly on his napkin that sits in the middle of the table, its stark white color contrasting brightly with the beige napkin. Wonpil leans closer, his elbows inching forward on the table showing that he’s clearly invested now. His expression is subtle but animated, the kind of anticipation that you’ve learned is rare for him, reserved for moments he can’t quite hide behind casual calm. 

“He loves me…” Petal three falls quickly to the napkin and Wonpil’s eyes follow it as a tiny pile now begins to form. “He loves me not…” Petal four joins the others and the rhythm feels ridiculous in the middle of the coffee shop, surrounded by quiet chatter and the smell of baked goods. But somehow, it also feels sacred between the two of you. It was intimate, almost like a little universe suspended on a napkin with just the two of you and a flower conducting its slow, arbitrary judgement. Wonpil’s hands are close to the edge of the table now, trembling slightly as though the outcomes of your tiny ritual could influence the very air around him.

“He loves me…He loves me not…” Petals five and six fall to the pile and the two of you dart your eyes down to it before looking back up at the flower in your fingers. Only one petal remains on the flower and you pause dramatically and glance up at him. Wonpil’s wide-eyed anticipation makes you laugh softly, because it’s like he’s watching the climax of a drama series he didn’t know he’d been cast in. 

“He loves me.” you say as you pluck the final petal and let it fall to the pile. Wonpil’s reaction is instantaneous. His eyes go impossibly wide and his mouth drops open just slightly as if he’s forgotten how to use words.

“Oh!” he exclaims happily, his voice louder than intended making a few heads turn towards your table in the coffee shop. You can’t hold it in as you burst out laughing while he ducks his head in slight embarrassment. You lean forward grinning at him as your eyes dance over his happy excited face.

“Why are you excited?” you ask him teasingly with a hint of curiosity in your voice.

“That’s good news!” he says while pointing at the crumpled petals now lying like tiny confetti on the napkin.

“You already knew the answer though.” you say around a wide grin.

“Yes,” he admits grinning just as brightly as you, “but now the flower knows too!” he says happily before reaching for the tiny pile of petals. Warmth and happiness blooms within you as you watch him gathering the petals into a heap like they’re sacred evidence in a court case. He examines them for a moment as if they carry the weight of the universe and you shake your head while laughing softly as your heart picks up its pace in your chest.

“You’re ridiculous.” you tell him fondly.

“Romance requires diligence,” he says seriously while his grin never fades from his face.

“Diligence or obsession?” you ask him as you raise an eyebrow. He shrugs his shoulders at you, then reaches across the table to slide your pastry plate toward you that you had completely forgotten about when the little girl came over to your table earlier.

“Celebration cake.” he says as his eyes dart up to yours with a softness that makes your breath catch in your chest. You look down at the plate and see the small slice of chocolate cake with a dusting of powdered sugar, a single raspberry perched on top like a crown. You can’t help but laugh again. “Romance requires snacks when there’s triumph.” he declares solemnly and you smile before scooping a bit of the cake onto your fork and holding it up for him. His eyes dart down to the cake before moving back to your eyes and he smiles widely at you. He leans forward and opens his mouth before gathering the cake off your fork into his mouth. “Delicious.” he says when he swallows.

You roll your eyes fondly at him and take a bite of the cake for yourself. Chocolate melts smoothly against your tongue, raspberry tartness cutting through the sweetness making you hum in agreement with him. Your fingers brush against his when you reach across the table for your drink and he doesn’t pull away. Instead, he leans just a fraction closer as his eyes crinkle with a small secretive smile.

“Do you think,” you say trying to sound casual with your curiosity, “that flowers are actually good at this? Like, predicting love?” you ask him and he tilts his head to the side as he steals another bite of the cake from your fork. He chews slowly and you smile at his antics.

“Maybe,” he says finally after swallowing, “but I think some flowers just need an assistant to translate for them.” You laugh softly, letting your hand brush against his again as you reach for him. He easily turns his hand to capture yours and begins to play with your fingers.

“And who would be the translator?” you ask him as you smile softly at him.

“Me.” he says immediately. “Definitely me.” His insistence makes you laugh softly as you nod your head along with his words.

“Oh? And you’re fluent in flower translation?” you tease him as you tilt your head to the side.

“Absolutely,” he says adamantly as his eyes sparkle delightedly at you. “When it comes to translating that I love you? I’m fluent in every translation.” he says honestly and you melt against the table while making a soft noise of surprise which makes him grin boyishly at you as his cheeks heat with a flush.

There’s warmth pooling in your chest at his quiet honesty and it’s hard to resist falling further and further in love with him, even when his honesty is wrapped in playful absurdity. You glance at the daisy stem lying on the table now, it lays there tiny, stubborn and almost inconsequential and in the face of the love you both share for each other. And yet somehow, its verdict has turned the midmorning into something entirely brighter. Wonpil leans back slightly still holding onto your hand with one of his hands while picking up his fork and taking a small bite of the cake. His eyes stay trained on you.

“The petals were just a formality,” he says quietly after swallowing the bite of cake. “But the cake was the real proof. Just a small celebration of something beautifully growing between us.” he says softly more to himself than you. You stare at him for a quiet moment as a grin slips onto your face as sunlight filters in through the window to fall across your face warming it.

“You are utterly ridiculous.” you say fondly before learning forward and accepting the piece of cake that he offers you.

“But effective.” he counters with a small sly smile tugging at his lips.

The coffee shop feels smaller now, cozier, like it was meant to hold just the two of you in your little bubble of warmth and love. The soft hum of conversation fades into the background as you sit together, letting the quiet intimacy stretch comfortably between bites of cake and tiny, triumphant petals piled on the table. 

“Promise me something?” Wonpil asks in a conspiratorial whisper as he leans forward.

“Hmm?” you hum out to him feeling dazed and foggy minded due to the warmth from the sun and the love you hold for him.

“Promise me we’ll always need these small ceremonies,” he says as his eyes lock onto yours. “The flowers, the cake…the ridiculous moments that make love obvious.” he requests reverently, making your heart thud heavily in your chest.

“I promise.” you tell him as you beam softly at him.

You shift slightly and tilt your head backwards to stare up at him as your head rests on his unoccupied thigh as if that’s the sole purpose it’s been created for. After two years of dating at this point that had become his thigh’s sole purpose in your mind. There’s a familiar ease in the way he lets you settle there without looking up, his hand automatically drifts to your hair and his fingers thread absentmindedly through the strands as he stares down at his notebook.

He’s been stuck on the same line for twenty minutes now, you can tell by the way his pen taps against the page. It’s a soft irregular rhythm that doesn’t quite match the cadence he’s chasing. Every now and then he writes something down only to scratch it out seconds later with a soft huff to follow the faint rasp of ink being crossed out scratching against the comfortable quiet around the two of you.

“What’s the matter K?” you ask him softly as you tilt your head back and squint up at him through half lidded eyes as the glow of the sunset almost blinds you. 

“Nothing is sounding right.” he sighs out to you and you frown softly at his words.

“Even after us visiting three different coffee shops, a bookstore, and that weird alley with the mural for inspiration?” you ask him bewildered.

“It’s not weird,” he says automatically, making you chuckle at him even as he doesn’t lift his head from his notebook. “It’s textured.” he insists and you scoff at him.

“It was a mural of a raccoon painted in existential despair.” you counter him dryly.

“It’s commentary. A great conversational piece. And one I thought was going to help get the creative juices flowing.” he laments quietly as he scowls down at his notebook. You huff out a quiet laugh, the sound is warm and lazy, before you shift slightly and press your cheek more comfortably into his thigh as you gaze up at him. His fingers adjust in your hair without thought as they smooth through your strands distractedly and scratch lightly at your scalp in a way that makes your eyes flutter shut for a second as a full happy hum emits from your chest.

“And all that inspiration and you’re still stuck?” you asked softly as your tone took on a more worried tone to it.

“I’m not stuck,” he says quickly in defence before sighing as his pen pauses once more in mid-air. “I’m temporarily resisting resolution.” he says softly with a look of defeat on his face. You hum unconvinced as one of your arms falls over the edge of the seat and your hand dangles into the grass underneath the bench.

A breeze drifts through the park, rustling the leaves overhead in the trees. Something soft brushes against the knuckles of your hand that’s left dangling over the bench and when you glance down you spot a small, slightly imperfect flower that must’ve fallen or been left behind. It’s not particularly special, it’s a little uneven with petals slightly curled at the edges. But to you it’s perfect as an idea sparks in your mind. You grab it from the grass and turn it between your fingers as you raise your hand to hover over you. Young K doesn’t notice at first, he’s muttering to himself now, barely audible, testing phrases under his breath.

“Something about…timing…no, that’s overdone…” he says softly to himself and you smile at his quiet antics before turning your eyes to the flower to inspect it.

“He loves me…” you say just loud enough for the two of you to hear and you smile softly when you hear the tapping of his pen cease. The petal that you pluck from the flower falls to the ground below you as you continue on with your little game hoping to inspire him. “He loves me not…” you say gloomily as you pick another petal from the flower. You don’t pay attention to the petal as it falls since you’re more interested in Young K’s response already knowing that it’ll be over the top and ridiculous, because it’s Young K.

“Wait.” he draws out softly but you ignore him as you pick another petal off the flower now fully committed to your game.

“He loves me…” you say and pause waiting for his response.

“What are you doing?” he asks now as he watches you avidly while you pluck another petal.

“He loves me not…” you say and let the petal fall to the ground. Young K looks down at you fully now, his brows knit slightly over his eyes as he watches you continue your slow dismantling of the flower. There’s a flicker of confusion on his face and then it morphs into curiosity before turning into something that looks suspiciously like offense.

“Are you seriously consulting a plant on such an important question?” he asks you bewildered and you bite your lip to try and curb the urge to laugh at him.

“This is supposed to inspire you with your lyrics.” you tell him confidently and he scoffs loudly at you.

“For what, a sad song? I’m supposed to be writing a happy song, not one about betrayal and heartbreak!” he protests and you chuckle at him.

“It’s a time-honored method that’s been passed down throughout the ages.” you tell him completely serious, knowing that it will set him off even further.

“You’re outsourcing emotional verification to…flora!” he cries out dramatically as if you’ve caused the ultimate betrayal.

“He loves me…” you continue and he huffs at you.

“You’re literally letting a daisy decide-” he begins to scold you but you cut him off easily.

“He loves me not…” you say and he stares at you with one eye slightly twitching makes you bite your lip once more but you continue on. Petal after petal, a quiet rhythm of soft snaps and drifting white pieces, each one landing somewhere below you under the bench. The city beyond the park grows quieter still, like it’s leaning in to listen for the final answer from the flower. “He loves me…” you continue and Young K’s hand that had been in your hand stills with a quietness that you know won’t last long. “He loves me not…” you continue on and can see out of the corner of your eye that his own eyes are slightly narrowed with something calculating sparking behind them. You’re absolutely enjoying this as you continue on with the petal plucking. “He loves me…”

“You do realize,” he says slowly breaking his silence much to your delight, “this is statistically unreliable.” he tries to argue.

“He loves me not…” you continue knowing it’ll bother him even more that you don’t respond to him.

“It’s random distribution at best.” he argues confidently and you try your best not to laugh at him.

“He loves me…” you say.

“You’re assigning meaning where there is none.” he tells you insistantly but you continue to pluck another petal.

“He loves me not…” you say while grinning softly as your eyes stay locked on the flower. “There’s always meaning in meaningless things.” you tell him confidently and he exhales heavily through his nose, somewhere between amused and mildly exasperated.

“There is not always-” he begins to argue again but you quickly cut him off.

“He loves me…” you say and another petal falls to the ground below but you deliberately slow your actions wanting to drag it out since there’s only a few petals left. “He loves me not…” You can feel the shift in him now as he stares at the flower in your hands. He straightens his posture just a fraction on the bench underneath your head, his gaze sharpens as if he’s watching the final seconds of something truly important.

“It’s not even a full bloom that you started with,” he mutters dejectedly and you smile softly at his argument. “That already compromises the integrity of the result.”

“Gives it more chances.” you tell him and he squawks loudly at your reasoning. 

“More chances to get it wrong.” he tells you.

“He loves me…” you say and the two of you as you watch the second to last petal fall from your fingers. You pinch the last petal in between your fingers for a quiet moment letting it stretch just a little longer than necessary. You glance up at him from your spot on his thigh and he’s already looking at you with a quiet softness that’s hidden beneath the mock seriousness written on his face. He knows you’re teasing him and riling him up but he’s allowing it just as much as you are playing it up. There’s a soft flickering in his eyes every time they connect with yours and you know it’s reflected in your eyes as well, it’s familiar and steady and still somehow capable of catching you off guard. You pluck the last petal. “He loves me not.” you say and silence follows your words.

The final petal flutters from your fingers and a soft breeze catches it before dragging it over to land on his notebook like it was fated to. Young K stares down at the petal before securing it in between the pages of his notebook carefully. His actions are dramatic or loud for once but they hold an intensity that speaks volumes to you.

“That’s…” he says slowly, voice edged with disbelief. “Objectively incorrect.” he states seriously and you burst out laughing, the sound bright and happy in the quiet park. You sit up from his lap and he scowls softly at you as his hand falls from your hair to his lap.

“That was the result of the test.” you tell him as you hold up the now bare stem as evidence.

“The result is flawed.” he insists and swats the stem from your hand which makes your mouth drop open in shock before you start laughing at him. You sit up on your knees as you face him still laughing at his antics.

“You watched it happen!” you tell him as your eyes sparkle at him in delight.

“I watched a deeply biased experiment.” he insists and you laugh at him again as you reach forward and cup his face gently before tugging him towards you slowly.

“And what made it biased?” you ask him softly and he grins up at you boyishly which makes you melt for him.

“It’s clearly underqualified.” he insists confidently and you chuckle softly at him.

“That flower had only one job.” you tell and he quickly nods his head at your words as his eyes widen slightly.

“And it failed spectacularly!” he cries out dramatically. Your laughter is soft and delighted as you shake your head at him as your nose brushes against his gently.

“I don’t make the rules.” you tell him and he huffs at you softly.

“No, apparently you let botany do that for you.” he grumbles out goodnaturedly. You lean forward and press a sweet soft kiss to his pouted lips as you chuckle quietly.

“I adore you. Absolutely and wholeheartedly love and adore you.” you tell him softly when you pull away from him. He blinks up at you for a quiet dazed moment before a grin slips across his face that is blinding. Suddenly then he gasps as his eyes widen and he pulls away from your hands. He grabs his notebook and flips to a clean page and starts writing, his pen moves quickly now and urgency now replaces his prior hesitation. “Inspired now?” you ask him happily knowing that your goal was accomplished.

“I’m correcting the narrative.” he tells you distractedly as he continues writing.

“You’re writing about the flower?” you ask him curiously.

“I’m writing about the injustice.” he says and you laugh as you shake your head at him.

“You’re seriously beefing with a daisy now.” you tease him and he shakes his head at you.

“A single daisy cannot summarize devotion.” he mutters to you as he’s already half in the rhythm of it, words coming faster into his brain now. His pen scratches across the page, and you can practically see the song forming in real time, piece by piece. You settle into his side and rest your head on his chest while watching him with a soft smile tugging at your lips. This is your favorite version of him, not the polished performer or the composed artist. It’s this version, the one who gets personally offended by hypothetical flowers and turns it into lyrics. “Listen to this,” he says, not waiting for permission as he reads, his voice low but animated. “Counting petals like they’re evidence, as if chance could measure this feeling…”

“Careful,” you tease him as you reach up and poke his cheek lightly, “the flower might hear you and double down.” 

“It can try,” he says while not even looking up. “It’ll be wrong twice.” he insists, which makes you laugh as you shake your head.

“You’re unbelievable.” you tell him softly.

“I’m correct.” he argues and you roll your eyes fondly at him before pressing a kiss to his cheek quickly which makes him flush brightly.

“You’re dramatic.” you whisper out to him and he huffs out a soft laugh.

“I’m inspired.” he counters hurriedly.

“That flower did more for your song than three coffee shops.” you tell him happily and he nods his head with a look of determination on his face.

“That flower is an antagonist.” he says heatedly and you grin before settling back into his side content to let him spiral and get out all of the lyrics that are flying through his mind right now. There’s something warm about this moment, something that settles deep in your chest. The quiet park, the fading light, the soft scratch of his pen, the way he shifts his body closer to you to keep you comfortable without breaking his focus. After two years of being together you’re surprised but not truly surprised that being with him still feels like this, because it’s him.

“You should title it ‘He Loves Me Not’.” you say after the thought filters into your mind. His pen stops, not gradually but immediately. You feel him shift underneath you and he’s suddenly turning you towards him as he gives you his full attention.

“No.” he says seriously and you look up at him to see that there’s no humor reflected on his face, no playful argument there, just certainty. 

“No?” you ask him curiously and tilt your head to the side.

“No.” he says and shakes his head adamantly. He sets the notebook aside, the page still half-filled with lyrics. “No, because that’s not even a possibility worth entertaining.” he says firmly, making your breath catch just a little. There it is again, that steady, grounding certainty that he carries like it’s second nature. You swallow quietly as you stare into his loving eyes. “I love you and I’m not going to let some flower try to deny that fact or some song title to try and ever hint at something untrue.” he says softly before leaning forward and capturing your mouth with his. 

You melt against him and the love he has for you while your hands come up and thread through his hair. The two of you sit on that park bench with his notebook, filled with lyrics confessing of a love that surpasses a silly little chance game, between you. You both lose yourself in the kiss as the evening shifts further on with time, neither of you coming up for much air until a loud car alarm blares through the air shocking the two of you. Soft chuckles slip out of the two of you when you do pull back, you pull your hands out of his hair as you both stare at each other with love reflecting in your eyes. 

Across the fire from you, Sungjin sits in a brightly colored camping chair with his elbows resting loosely on his knees. He’s holding a long stick in his hand as he nudges at the fire like it owes him something, you smile softly at the image of him in front of you. He hums under his breath, low and absentminded, a melody that never quite forms into a full song but lingers in the air anyway. It’s soft and hauntingly beautiful which you’re not surprised by since it was coming from him. 

You watch him for a moment longer than necessary, there’s something about Sungjin in this setting that feels simpler. Almost as if he’s been stripped down from the infamous Kpop idol. There’s no noise out here, no distractions, just him and the quiet crackle of firelight painting gold along the edges of his face. His expression is calm, thoughtful, like he’s somewhere halfway between here and somewhere far away. Seeing him like this cracks something unusual inside your chest and it makes your breath seize within your lungs. It’s something heavy and consuming but not unfamiliar to you, you’ve been feeling like this towards after the six month mark of your relationship you just haven’t delved deeper into it just yet. Your eyes dart away from him after a moment when it all becomes too much for you.

You knew he had needed a break from his busy schedule so when he had started planning a camping trip and asked if you’d join him you had eagerly agreed wanting to spend as much time with him as you possibly could. You just hadn’t imagined how much it would affect you seeing him so unfiltered like this. Your eyes dart around the small camp site, your eyes trailing over Sungjin for a moment before darting the darkened woods behind him. Then as if the fire was calling you back your eyes drifted back to the crackling fire as if hypnotized. Your eyes follow the bouncing flames and the stray embers that snap off from the logs of wood as they move in arcs out of the flames, that’s when you spot it.

A tiny wildflower, stubbornly blooming beside a rock just outside the circle of firelight. Its petals are pale blue and almost glow against the dark soil, like it didn’t get the memo that it shouldn’t exist out here next to a campfire in the middle of nowhere. You lean forward reaching out past your camping chair and pluck the wildflower gently from the ground. Sungjin’s humming pauses for a second as his eyes track your movement before it resumes once more after he sees that you’re okay and just grabbed the flower. You sit back in your chest as an excited smile slips across your face and you roll the stem between your fingers while your eyes stare at the petals while your mind thinks of an old game that you used to play with your girlfriends when you were younger. It’s silly, even childish, you know this but the excitement that bubbles up within you is more prominent than your urge to limit yourself.

“He loves me…” you murmur softly as you pluck the first petal from the flower and toss it into the fire watching as the fire consumes it quickly turning it to ash. Your words hang in the air with softness to them and an uncertainty that lingers in the air around you. “He loves me not…” you murmur just as softly and your eyes follow the petal as it burns in the flames again. Across the campfire the humming falters again as Sungjin focuses on you and the tiny wildflower in your hands. “He loves me…” you say softly and then watch as the petal that you tossed gets caught by a warm updraft from the fire before spinning down into the flames to be burnt to a crisp.

“What are you doing?” Sungjin asks in a nonchalantly curious tone but you can tell by the way his eyes don’t leave you that he’s not as nonchalant as he comes off as. You don’t even glance at him, keeping your attention fixed on the flower like it’s a serious experiment requiring full concentration as you smile brightly.

“Science.” you say seriously. There’s a beat of silence after you speak and then a quiet snort rings out. Your eyes dart up and see that Sungjin is now watching you fully with one eyebrow slightly raised. The corner of his mouth is tugging upwards like he’s trying not to smile but he’s unable to stop it. He leans back a little in his chair and shifts his weight so that he’s sitting more comfortably in the brightly colored chair, his eyes are still fixed on you. “He loves me not…” you continue, more pointedly now, because you have to finish your little game with his sole attention on you.

The weight of his gaze is steady and warm in a way that makes your fingers slightly clumsy as you pluck the next petal. Sungjin doesn’t say anything but the way his lips curve into a soft smirk makes your pulse skyrocket. The fire crackles louder and it makes the atmosphere almost throb with intent between the two of you and you suck in a quick breath before speaking up once again.

“He loves me…” you say softly before hesitating for half a second. You don’t know why you’ve suddenly grown nervous, it’s just a stupid harmless game. But there’s something lingering within you that wraps around you and makes you more aware of what the ending answer you want this game to land on. You idly wonder if you’ll be able to talk to him further about your feelings for him. 

“He loves me not…” you say slightly dejectedly and toss the petal into the fire a little more aggressively causing Sungjin to chuckle softly as he jabs his stick into the burning logs, his movements send up a small burst of sparks spiraling upward in the dark night sky. His eyes flick between your hands and your face, attentive in that quiet way of his, like he’s listening to something you’re not saying with actual words. You swallow silently as you turn the stem between your fingers letting yourself focus on the flower as opposed to focusing on him.

“He loves me…” you say softly and feel yourself melt from within as your smile slips back onto your face. Your attention fully now on the flower as your mind starts to concoct images of how he treats you and how it makes you feel loved even if you don’t know for sure that’s how he intends it to be viewed. There are only a few petals left now and your eyes try to count them but you stop yourself not wanting to spoil the game even as the air feels thicker.

“He loves me not…” you say and you can hear your own heartbeat now as it escalates within you, it’s annoyingly loud compared to the steady hum of the forest. Sungjin doesn’t say anything as his eyes rake over you from across the fire, he doesn’t move, just watches you before darting his eyes to the singular left petal on the flower. You blink in realization at the last petal for a moment, your thumb brushes against its edge as if it’s lucky as happiness begins to well up inside of you. It’s ridiculous the way your chest tightens with joy like this silly little game actually matters. Like the answer is anything more than coincidence. But still, you pluck the petal and your eyes dart up to connect with Sungjin’s across the fire.

“He loves me.” you say fondly as your smile bursts out on your face as the words land softly between you, they’re already being carried on the warmth of the fire into the night sky above you. For a second, neither of you speaks after the answer is found to your game, you toss the petal and the now empty stem into the fire. Triumphant joy consumes you and you can’t stop your smile from morphing into a grin as you grow a little breathless.

“Good.” he says with a confident nod and that makes you falter slightly. His answer is so no-nonsense that it shocks you as you blink at him a few times.

“Good? That’s it?” you ask confused. You had expected him to tease you for going through with the game, you had thought he’d joke about it or maybe even that quiet laugh he does when he finds something genuinely funny. But instead, he just shrugs his shoulders as a soft smile slips across his face and he slips back into his chair as if the answer didn’t really hold much weight.

“Yeah,” he says with a nod of his head as his eyes dance with a soft spark in them. “Good.” You narrow your eyes at him while leaning forward slightly and pout dramatically at him.

“You’re no fun.” you huff at him and he laughs delightedly at your response.

“Was I supposed to be?” he counters goodnaturedly as a hint of amusement fills his voice now.

“Yes,” you say immediately. “That’s how this works. You’re supposed to react. Dramatically, preferably with shock and awe. A little indignation if it had been the other option. Then I’d be able to lead into a conversation about how I feel about you.” you ramble and Sungjin’s eyes sharpen on you for a quiet moment before he easily slips into the conversation.

“And how do you feel about me Jagi?” he asks curiously as his eyes focus intently on you. You don’t realize what you’ve already said to him and as you continue on you still don’t realize that he’s got you exactly where he wants you to gather more information.

“I’ve got this warm, consuming, heavy feeling within me whenever I think about you. It’s not a bad feeling. It’s quite pleasant, like a weighted blanket that makes me feel safe and secure. Sometimes it grows too big when we’re apart but whenever we meet up again it settles into this contentment that just makes me breathe easier.” you begin to explain and Sungjin smiles fondly at you as you continue to ramble. “You’re the first person I think of when I wake up and you’re the last person I think of before I fall asleep. I always wish you a goodnight right before falling asleep even when we’re unable to call and talk. You’ve become so important to me that I don’t think I could go back to not knowing you.” your voice drifts out for a moment and Sungjin takes the time to step in then.

“That sounds an awful lot like love.” he says softly and fondly which makes you whip your head up at him in surprise. Your eyes widen comically and your mouth drops open slightly but before you can panic your eyes recognize the way he’s looking at you. It’s steadier and softer, and you realize he’s been looking at you like that for a while and you’re only just noticing. Your panic gets stuck somewhere between your brain and your mouth and Sungjin tilts his head slightly at you as he studies your expression like he’s trying to read something written there.

“I think it is love. I just didn’t recognize it until you confirmed it just now.” you say softly and he smiles happily at you.

“For what it’s worth, I already knew the answer to your little game.” he tells you in a soft tone that makes your heart thud heavily in your chest. You look down at the ground at your feet as you break out into soft disbelieving laughter, because that’s easier than unpacking whatever that sentence just did to you.

“Oh, really? And what, you’ve been consulting flowers behind my back?” you ask him teasingly as you lift your head slowly to look at him only to see that he’s no longer in his camping chair. No, he’s gotten up and is now standing at your side taking your hand into his as he guides you up from your own chair. He stares down into your eyes with a softness that makes you melt further as you stand in front of him.

”Don’t need to.” He replies fondly as the fire pops, a sharp sound that makes you flinch slightly causing you to step closer to him. He watches you quietly and the air between you grows thick as his eyes dart from your eyes down to your mouth which parts slightly under his gaze. “I chose to fall in love with you a long time ago. I won’t leave it up to flowers to decide for me.” He tells you and the words land heavier in your mind and consciousness as your breath rushes out of you. The night seems to lean in around you both, listening to your conversation.

Sungjin steps closer to you, close enough that you can feel his chest brushing against yours as he breathes. His arms simply slide around your waist and tug you into his chest making you rest your hands against him gently. You look up at him almost in awe as his emotions and feelings for you are revealed finally and you feel your chest burst with happiness.

”Oh.” You say softly not knowing what else to say. It’s not a very impressive response, but it’s all you can manage right now and it makes Sungjin smile warmly down at you.

”Like you said before that I’ve become important to you, you’ve become important to me. I like being around you. It’s…easy.” He says like it’s the simplest thing in the world.

”Easy?” You echo softly and you realize that he’s right, it is easy being around him. It’s easy and calming whenever it’s with him.

”Yeah,” he tells you. “You don’t make things feel complicated. Like how you said I make you feel safe and secure. You do that for me by making things less complicated and easy.” He explains and you nod your head before looking back up at him fully.

”I thought,” you start before stopping when you feel his chest rise with his breath distracting you for a moment. When he chuckles at your distraction you quickly shake your head and look back up at him. “I thought it was just me who felt that way. That’s why I didn’t say anything earlier.”

”How could I not feel that way with you?” He asks softly as his hands come up and cup your cheeks. “You’ve become the person who I want to be with all the time. You make me feel like I’m able to relax around you. When I get to see you again after being away it feels like when I get to go home after a busy day of schedules.” He explains to you while staring into your eyes. You can feel the emotions rising up in you to consume you whole but just as they’re about to Sungjin leans down and presses his lips against yours in a gentle chaste kiss.

His lips slide against yours unhurried and you shift closer to him as your hands grip his hoodie on either side of him drawing him in further. Tilting your head to the side the kiss deepens and the two of you hum in a sweet melody that only the two of you can create. The fire crackles again, softer now as it burns lowers, embers glowing deep orange beneath the surface and the two of you keep kissing as if nothing else matters in the world.

When you pull away because your lungs are screaming for air, the two of you stand there quietly just gazing at each other before Sungjin hums softly. He leans down and presses a kiss to your forehead gently before wrapping you up in a tight hug that you easily bury yourself into loving the warmth of him surrounding you.

”Thank you for loving me.” You say softly to him and he pulls away after a moment to gaze down at you.

He should’ve known that he was doomed as soon as you fluttered your lashes at him and tilted your head to the side all cutely that you did. He did know he was doomed but he couldn’t help it when it came to you, after dating you for a month into your year and a half relationship he already knew that he was goner for you and would give you anything you asked for if he had the power to do so. Which is how he found himself in the middle of the local park under the warm bright sun outnumbered, outmatched and currently being interrogated by a gaggle of children no taller than his midriff.

“So…are you dating teacher-nim?” comes the question that they’ve all been dying to ask him. Jeongin chokes at the words. He actually chokes on air, as his hands fly to his chest as if that might help him recover faster and find the words to deflect the question. Chan would be disappointed, after all that media training for the group has apparently all if has immediately escaped his brain with the simple question from the tiny girl with pigtails and the confidence of someone who has never known fear. She looked up at him expectantly as behind her, the rest of the group went quiet in eerie unison, like a flock of birds sensing drama. A few of the kids even lean in waiting for the answer while one kid straight up gasps.

“Oooooooooh,” another kid whispers but his volume is not quiet at all. Jeongin blinks, once, twice as they all stare at him silently. His brain? Gone, completely evacuated his skull and he can hear Chan hyung’s voice in the far distance yelling about their media training lessons.

“I-what? No! I mean-” he stammers, his words tripping over each other on his tongue as his ears start to burn with embarrassment. He looks around the park for help, his eyes darting from side to side looking for you. Across the small clearing, you’re crouched down in front of a little boy tying his shoes that had come undone. His eyes narrow on you and he can see that you’re pretending to be very focused on tying the shoes as your shoulders shake with barely restrained laughter. He huffs at you for a moment before the kids capture his attention once again.

“So you’re not dating her?” one asks him accusingly and Jeongin’s eyes widen in surprise at how offended the little one sounds in your defense. Jeongin flinches back at the angry look on the small child and he begins to flounder in the face of their offense all while you look over with a soft grin on your face and wide sparkling eyes, traitor.

“I didn’t say that.” Jeongin manages to say weakly as his eyes dart back and forth from each child. “Who told you that?!” he asks defensively.

“I think he’s dating her.” says the first culprit of this investigation, the little girl with the pigtails.

“He looks at her a lot.” Another child reasons out loud and Jeongin snaps his head to stare at the child bewilderedly.

“And he stands next to her all the time.” a third adds making Jeongin swing his head towards them now.

“And he brought snacks!” chimes in another one, like that’s the most incriminating evidence of all. Jeongin presses his lips together for a moment because he can’t argue with them, they’re all right in their observations but is this topic of conversation appropriate for kids this little? He doesn’t know and he doesn’t want to be the one to destroy their innocence.

“I brought snacks for everyone.” He tries to appease them all but they all turn to stare at him unimpressed and unconvinced in his words. None of them are buying it.

“Sus,” one of the kids says and Jeongin flinches back as if he was shot wondering where the kid even heard that word let alone learned how to use it correctly in context. But before he can attempt to defend himself any further, you finally step in, clapping your hands together to regain control of the chaotic group of tiny humans in front of you.

“Alright detectives,” you call out your voice bright with barely contained laughter as your eyes sparkle in delight. “Why don’t we focus on the actual lesson and not give Innie a heart attack before he reaches old age?” you joke and a chorus of groans rise up immediately, most from the kids but Jeongin also groans at your joke as his eyes dart to you accusingly.

“Booooo!” calls out some of the kids.

“Noooo!” rings out from a few others.

“Tell us the answer first, teacher-nim!” cries out the little girl and you smile at her softly before patting her head gently.

“There is no answer.” you say firmly even though your eyes flick to Jeongin for just a warm amused fond second. “Now come on, we’re learning about plants today, remember?” you tell them sweetly. Reluctantly, the kids disperse, though not without several suspicious glances back at Jeongin. He exhales slowly, dragging a hand down his face as he stops closer to you.

“You did this on purpose.” he mutters accusingly to you and you look over your shoulder at him with a wide happy grin already on your face.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” you say loftily and he scoffs softly at you before a slight pout graces his lips.

“Liar.” he accuses softly and you burst out in happy laughter.

“You agreed to help when I asked. I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t think you could handle a group of first graders.” you tell him teasingly and his pout deepens slightly at your teasing.

“I was manipulated.” he argued and you gasped softly at him before turning to him and widening your eyes at him.

“I would never.” you gasped out at him and he smirked softly down at you as he leaned closer.

“You batted your eyelashes.” he accuses softly.

“That’s not a crime.” you tell him.

“It should be.” he mutters quietly and you laugh at him softly while bumping your shoulder lightly against his as you turn to survey the group of kids now scattered around the park looking at the flowers sprouting from the grass.

“Relax, they like you.” you tell him fondly and he looks at you for a moment before huffing softly.

“That’s the problem,” he says, though there’s no real heat in it. “They’re too comfortable.” And as if summoned by his words one of the kids runs back up to the two of you clutching a small white flower in his fist.

“Teacher! Look!” he cries out as he makes it to you causing you crouch down with a wide smile on your face.

“That’s daisy,” you explain gently and Jeongin watches with a soft look on his face. You’re good at this, the kids follow your word as if it’s law and they automatically look to you as if you would protect them from everything. And he knows you would without a second thought. “See the petals? They’re really easy to count.” you tell the little boy as he nods seriously, already absorbing the info like it’s the most important piece of information in the world. Jeongin watches from beside you, his arms loosely crossed over his chest as he still recovers from the earlier ambush. Then he watches in shock as you reach out and pluck the flower gently from the child’s hand. “Actually,” you say with a playful tone slipping into your voice which automatically sets Jeongin on edge. He knows that voice. “There’s a game people play with these.” you tell the child.

Uh oh, Jeongin narrows his eyes slightly at you as he waits silently for your next course of action. His body tensed to book at any sign of chaos that you could create. The little boy looks up at you with wide eager eyes as he nods his head already invested in whatever game you’re going to tell him about.

“What kind of game?” Jeongin asks, beating the kid to the punch. You don’t answer him as you hold up the flower and reach over with your other hand and pluck a petal from the flower.

“He loves me…” you say dreamily before letting the petal fall to the grass below. Jeongin freezes at your actions and his eyes widen with slight worry and betrayal written on his face. “He loves me not…” you say with a soft pout as you pluck another petal. The kid gasps in outrage before darting his eyes over to Jeongin accusingly which makes him raise his hands in faux surrender.

“Oh no.” Jeongin murmurs softly as he watches you continue with each petal, The child’s eyes grow wider with every word, like you’re revealing secrets of the universe that they were not privy to earlier. Jeongin’s eyes dart between you and the flower, already sensing danger. It’s like a sixth sense for him but no matter how much he’d like to stop it it’s already too late. The kid grabs another flower and holds it up like a valiant weapon.

“I wanna try!” he calls out, catching the attention of all the other children. And just like that, as they all turn with interest to you and the child before you, everything spirals. Within seconds, it’s utter chaos. Absolute unfiltered chaos descends on the once serene park. Kids scatter across the grassy area, plucking flowers with reckless abandon, their voices rising into a chorus of overlapping chants.

“He loves me!”

“He loves me not!”

“He LOVES me!”

“NO HE DOESN'T!" 

Jeongin stares with wide eyes filled with horror and slightly impressed. You slowly stand amid the chaos that you’ve created laughing delightedly and looking like an evil villainess who has unleashed her tiny minions onto the world to create havoc on the unsuspecting public.

“What have you done?” he breathes softly and you laugh loudly once again.

“I taught them a classic!” you declare happily as you spread your arms out wide.

“You’ve started something that we cannot control.” he warns you as a kid runs past the two of you at full speed.

“Mine says he doesn’t love you!” a child shouts gleefully causing Jeongin to gasp out like he’s been personally attacked.

“WHAT?!” he cries out after the kid who now has a small gang running after him. Jeongin clutches his chest dramatically before another child rushes up to him waving her flower triumphantly.

“This one says he DOES!” she shouts happily. Jeongin pivots towards her immediately as he points at her flower assuredly.

“See?! That one’s correct!” he calls out as she then runs past.

“No it’s not!” shout the kids from the he loves me not flower group.

“Yes it is!” Jeongin shouts back in response and you burst out laughing at him.

“No!” shout the kids back at him in a chorusing group.

“Yes!” he calls out determinedly. You laugh so hard you have to brace your hands on your knees trying to calm yourself down. “This is your fault.” Jeongin says as he points at you accusingly.

“You’re participating!” you cry out in argument as you laugh again.

“I am defending myself!” he cries out dismayed as he presses a hand to his chest in a dramatic flair that he got from Hyunjin. Meanwhile, the chanting from the children grows louder and more intense as they all commit to the task at hand. At least twenty kids are now involved, each with their own flower, each declaring wildly different outcomes like tiny prophets of chaos.

“He loves me!”

“He loves me not!”

“He loves me!”

“He loves me not!”

It echoes across the park, drawing curious looks from people passing by or through the park. There’s a few older couples watching with amused smiles on their faces as the chaos unfolds like a grand play in front of them. Jeongin crouches down beside you as you collapse on the grass laughing uncontrollably, his own laughter bubbles out of his despite everything.

“You’ve started a flower cult.” he says around a laugh and you grin up at him breathless as you lay sprawled in the grass below him.

“At least they’re enthusiastic.” you reason and he laughs as he looks over at the horde of children you’re both supposed to be in charge of.

“They’re forming factions.” he mutters and you grin as you both watch two kids begin arguing over whose flower is more accurate. Jeongin watches them like he’s witnessing the collapse of society in real time. “I can’t believe this is happening.” he says softly in awe.

“You’re doing great.” you tell him fondly as you pat his knee causing him to look down at you bewildered.

“I’m not doing anything!” he cries out which makes you beam up at him. The way happiness just pours out of you melts him with deep rooted affection for you and he can’t stop his own beaming smile he directs at you.

“Exactly.” you say as if that answers all questions. Before he can respond, a small hand tugs at his shirt and he looks over to see a little girl standing next to him holding out a slightly lopsided daisy.

“For you.” she tells him and he blinks at her in confusion while you sit up from your place in the grass with eager eyes.

“For me?” he asks and the little girl nods solemnly at him.

“You have to try. Everyone else has.” she tells him and there’s a pause as Jeongin looks at the flower and then over at you while a circle of expectant little faces slowly form around you both. Oh no. You bite your lip, clearly trying to curb your laugh but the way your eyes sparkle up at him has him feeling ten feet tall.

“Go on Innie. Your turn.” you say sweetly as you pull the little girl into your lap with a small shriek from the child.

“This is a setup.” he accuses as he narrows his eyes at you.

“Maybe.” you agree with a shrug of your shoulders as you grin while the kids lean in closer.

“Do it!” they all chant.

“Do it!”

“DO IT!” they all crow out to him and Jeongin sighs dramatically as he takes the flower anyway holding it carefully between his fingers as if it’s a bomb waiting to detonate.

“Fine,” he sighs out resignedly. “But when this goes wrong, I’m blaming all of you.” he says firmly which only makes you and the children grin up at him as he stands. He brings the flower up, clearing his throat as if he’s about to deliver a speech to the whole park. “He loves me…” he says and plucks the first petal. The kids all gasp with a dramatic flair that he knew Hyunjin would appreciate. “He loves me not…” he says as another petal falls to the grass, the group of you react like it’s a live sports event.

“Ohhhhh!!”

“NOOOOO!

“Teacher-nim did you hear?!” Jeongin tries not to laugh but it’s already slipping through as he continues plucking petals.

“He loves me…” he says and discards another petal. “He loves me not…” He drags it out a little now, playing into the theatrics of the whole thing as his voice grows more dramatic with each word. “He loves me…” he says while infusing his voice with warmth. “He loves me not…” this time his voice holds a sense of sorrow. The kids all gasp and few of them wrap their arms around each other in hugs of comfort. Jeongin looks down at the flower and notices that there’s only one petal left and he grins softly as he raises his hand to grab the lone petal. The entire group holds their breath, his eyes dart over to you and you’re watching him with stars in your eyes as you hold your breath in anticipation as well. He softens even more for you as you cradle the little girl in your lap and another child hangs on your shoulder watching him avidly. 

He knows he doesn’t need a flower to tell him how he feels about you, he feels every day he’s around you and even when he’s not around you he feels it. But he’s truly glad that this flower has agreed to work with him on this epic journey. His fingers pinch the petal and he plucks it cleanly from the flower.

“He loves me.” he says with finality and for a beat it’s silent in your group surrounding him. Then the kids explode with chaos and sound. The decibel of sound that erupts from them is nearly deafening and Jeongin has to drop his jaw to make his ears open so that he can hear again after their explosion.

“YAAAAAY!!”

“I KNEW IT!”

“SEE!?”

“HE LOVES YOU, TEACHER-NIM!”

Jeongin laughs bright and full as he still holds the now empty stem like he’s just won something important. And honestly, he believes he has. You’re staring up at him with a soft expression over your face that lets him know exactly how you’re feeling about him and the kids are hyping him up so much that he feels like a million bucks. He idly wonders if he can convince Chan hyung to rent these kids out to give them motivation during long hard practice sessions. The little girl in your lap jumps up and begins zooming around the park with the other kids as they all begin racing around the park together shouting out their triumph. Jeongin reaches down and pulls you up until he gathers you close in his arms as the kids all rush past and around you. You gaze at him fondly and he grins down at you.

“Certified,” he says as his eyes dart around at the running kids, “by the council of children.” You roll your eyes even though you’re grinning at him and he beams down at you as well.

“That’s not a real thing.” you tell him softly and he smirks softly as he ducks his head closer to yours.

“It is now.” he says softly.

“It’s real!” shouts some kids racing by which makes the two of you laugh.

“We’re the council! Teacher-nim’s boyfriend said so!”

“We decide!”

“This is ridiculous.” you say as you shake your head while laughing under your breath.

“Authoritative.” Jeongin corrects you gently. The chaos begins to settle after that, the kids drifting back into smaller groups still playing but less frantically now while others had collapsed in the grass after their mad dash. The noise softens around you and the moment between the two of you lingers. Jeongin still has you cradled close leaning into your space happily.

“Thanks for helping me today Innie.” you say softly to him and he grins at you happily before he ducks his head and presses a quick kiss to your cheek which makes you huff out a soft laugh at him.

“I got to hang out with a bunch of cool kids. And I had my love for you certified by the council of children. I had a great day today.” he tells you softly and you laugh softly before leaning up on tiptoe and press a quick shy kiss to his mouth that he chases when you pull away.

You’re enjoying the warmth of the sun as you walk back, letting the comfortable silence between you and Seungmin just settle easily when your eyes land on some pretty decorative outdoor planters in front of a shop. You spot a loan ragwort in one of the planters and pluck it with precision before holding it up in front of you like a trophy. The flower is small, unremarkable honestly but it was a stubborn little thing to push out of a concrete planter like it had something to prove. You loved it immediately. You held it out between your fingers like it’s something sacred, something ancient, something has decided in its tiny chlorophyll heart that it is now the judge of your fate. Seungmin watches you quietly with a raised eyebrow before scoffing softly as you begin to pull the petals off the flower.

“He loves me…” you say as the first petal comes off and you let it flutter to the sidewalk in a dizzying dance. “He loves me not…” you say as you repeat the action and pull another petal from the flower. Seungmin watches you in silence as he slows his steps to match yours fully but you can see the increasing disbelief, that is specifically reserved for you, start to flicker across his face as you continue to pull petals from the flower. You can practically read his mind just from his expression to you he’s saying, I knew you were ridiculous but I didn’t realize we were doing this today. You love it and try to hide your delighted smile as you bite your lip playfully.

“You’re not seriously doing this, are you?” he asks you incredulously but you continue to pull the petals as you wax and wane on about if he loves you or not. Seungmin huffs at you as you both keep walking though you notice that his eyes don’t stray from your fingers pulling the petals off. He’s completely focused on what you’re doing and what answer you will get from this stubborn little flora.

“He loves me not.” you say with a soft dejected tone in your voice as you look at the flower as if it betrayed you before swinging your eyes to Seungmin who sighs like a disappointed professor as he shakes his head.

“You cannot let a flower determine my emotional state.” Seungmin tells you honestly and you widen your eyes at him in response which makes him sigh as he nods at the flower for you to continue.

There’s a quiet stretch of sidewalk ahead, dappled in late afternoon sunlight, the kind that makes everything feel softer than it actually is. The bag of pastries in your hand swings like a pendulum keeping time with your steps. You reach up and pluck another petal before it spins in the air like a tiny white helicopter as it races down to the sidewalk.

“He loves me…” you coo softly with happiness and Seungmin shakes his head at your antics.

“You realize,” he says cutting into your fun, his tone sharpening into something dangerously close to a lecture, “that this is not a scientifically valid method of determining anything, right?” he asks you rhetorically and you barely give him a response as you hum unfazed in your actions.

“He loves me not…” you say as another petal falls to the ground as you walk leaving it behind in like a crumb trail from the story Hansel and Grettle.

“If anything,” he continues, now fully committed to dismantling your logic, “your starting point already biases the outcome. You began with ‘he loves me’, so statistically-” he begins to reason and you cut him off as you stare up at him in silence.

“You’re ruining it.” you tell him with a sniff and he blinks at you for a quiet moment before his brain comes back online.

“I’m actually saving you from flawed reasoning.” he tells you and you huff at him before turning back to the flower.

“He loves me…” you say wistfully as the petal falls daintily from your fingers. There’s a faint crunch of gravel as he adjusts his step, keeping pace with you. You can practically feel the way he’s staring at the flower now, like it personally offended him.

“You’re letting a plant,” he says slowly, carefully, like he’s explaining something to someone particularly stubborn, “dictate my feelings for you.” he finishes as he stares at you with one eye twitching slightly in disbelief.

“I’m letting it guide me to the truth.” you counter knowing that those words will really set him off.

“Truth?! That is an inanimate object! The truth can come from the actual person who loves you!” he cries out raising his voice slightly and you feel your heart begin to melt for him. He’s so adamant that you shouldn’t be doing this silly little test and he’s trying so hard to get you to stop but you want to finish, so you do.

“He loves me not…” you say and Seungmin huffs loudly while throwing his hands up in the air in disgusted disbelief. He then begins to pout slightly and your heart thuds heavily in your chest, he knows what his pouting does to you that menace. But you still continue on, the flower is starting to look a little tragic at this point. It’s more than half-plucked and uneven, like it regrets being chosen for this role. Seungmin exhales loudly besides you, it’s the kind of sigh that carries weight, judgement and hint of resignation. “He loves me…” you say with a soft whimsical smile on your face as you’re only half paying attention to the flower now as Seungmin’s reactions to your actions are more entertaining than the actual answer from the flower. “He loves me not…” you say and pluck the petal with a soft scoff before moving to reach for another petal but when your fingers find nothing you freeze and blink down at the now bare stem.

Silence stretches long between you and after a moment of it you slowly turn your head to him. Seungmin is already looking at you, his expression is exactly what you expected. A mix of unimpressed and deep offense on behalf of logic itself. 

“You cannot,” he begins in a low tone that calm but has an edge to it, “let that flower lie on my name like that.” You press your lips together, trying very hard not to laugh as your eyes widen comically in dismay. You slowly raise the sad petal-less stem like it’s evidence in a court case.

“It said what it said.” you lament softly and his left eye twitches as it stares at the stem and then darts his eyes to you before returning to the offending piece of botany. Something shifts in the air between you, it’s subtle at first. His eyes narrow with the kind of look that means he’s thinking, calculating and deciding something with the quiet intensity of someone who always believes he’s right. Which, to be fair, he usually is. Without another word, he reaches out and plucks the stem from your fingers.

“Hey!” you cry out as he tosses the stem into the gutter next to the sidewalk. You blink at him bewildered but he doesn’t respond to you as he instead begins glancing around the two of you. He scans the row of planters lining the sidewalk before zeroing in on another flower that’s just as small and unsuspecting.. Before you can even figure out what he’s going to do he’s leaning over and plucking the flower cleanly from the planter. “You can’t just-” you start to protest but he easily cuts you off.

“I can,” he tells you already turning back to you. “And I will. Here hold this.” he tells you as he hands you the drink caddy he’s been holding. You take it from him easily and watch with wide eyes as he then reaches up and begins to pluck the petals. “Since I can’t trust you or the flower with this task I’m going to do it.” he tells you snarkily and you bite your lip to stop your laughter from bubbling out. “I love you, even though I find you ridiculous in the best way possible.” he says as his fingers pluck the first petal and let it fall to the ground.

The two of you have come to a stop now not far from his apartment and you’re staring at him with a heart that’s racing too rapidly in your chest. Your eyes are wide and filled with so much warmth and love for the silly man in front of you.

“I love you, and your stubbornness because it mirrors mine just in a softer font.” he tells you seriously and you slowly begin to melt at his words of affirmation. 

“Seung” you drag out in a soft whine and he smirks at you as he shakes his head quickly.

“Nope, you made me go through that silly little test of yours. Now you have to go through mine.” he tells you softly with a delight that exudes from him. “I love you, you’re the best part of my day. Scratch that, my life.” he tells you as he plucks another petal from the flower. Something warm starts to bubble in your chest and you find yourself growing antsy to let it out towards him.

“That’s cheating,” you say around a laugh that creeps into your voice but Seungmin shrugs entirely unbothered by your words.

“I corrected the experiment.” he tells you before continuing with his petal plucking. “I love you, you’re my person. The one I wake up wanting to see first thing in the morning and the one I go to sleep dreaming of each night.”

And with those words you can’t hold it in anymore, you laugh loud, happy and bright. It spills out of you in an uncontrollable manner as it echoes softly down the sidewalk. People pass by, glancing curiously at the two of you but you don’t care. Seungmin doesn’t stop plucking petals as he grins at you as well. This time with just declarations of love.

“I love you.” he says letting a petal fall to the sidewalk. “I love you.” he repeats and your heart swells with love and affection for him as your eyes watch the petals fall in that dizzying dance once again. “I love you.”

The flower is now nearly bare just like the last one you had tested with as your laughter slows at his antics. He’s still declaring his love for you as petals began to gather around both of your feet. Your eyes dance as you look up at him stepping close.

“You’re unbelievable.” you tell him softly and he chooses to ignore that as he plucks the last petal from the flower. He holds it up for you to see, you glance at the petal and then into his eyes.

“I love you.” he tells you with a finality that makes your breath stutter in your chest. He lets the petal go and it falls slowly to the ground. He looks down at the empty stem for a moment, as if confirming the result with a nod of his head and then looks up at you. There’s something quieter in his expression now, no longer sharp or teasing.

“You rigged the results.” you tease him softly and he shakes his head at you while grinning.

“I fixed it, you mean.” he counters and you laugh out once more before stepping closer to him. He easily loops his arms around your waist and drags you closer. He’s staring at you in way that feels steady and certain, like there was never a question to begin with and that makes you beam up at him.

“I love you too.” you tell him softly and his eyes soften while his whole body melts to surround you slowly. You lean up on tiptoes and he’s already there steadying you as your lips brush in a sweet chaste kiss. 

When you pull away Seungmin looks pleasantly pleased with himself and you can’t help but grin at him. He turns to start heading back down the sidewalk and easily takes the drink caddy from your hands. The sidewalk stretches ahead once more, warm and golden in the fading light. The planters continue in neat little rows, full of flowers that suddenly feel very…watched. You glance at one and then dart your eyes over to Seungmin before slipping back to the flower.

“Don’t,” he warns you softly, catching your actions immediately. A grin slips onto your face and you turn to look at him with faux innocence lining your face.

“I wasn’t going to do anything.” you lie to him boldly and he scoffs softly in response.

“You were absolutely thinking about doing something.” he says knowingly.

“That’s not a crime.” you tell him and he looks at you with a deadpanned look on his face which makes your grin widen.

And in the middle of it all is your little niece as she races from one end of the playground to the other without a care in the world. Her braided pigtails, that you had weaved the pretty sparkly ribbon Felix brought for her as a gift into the strands, fluttered behind her as she ran. You grinned widely as your eyes tracked her every move not wanting to lose sight of the excited little girl. You watch as she suddenly pivots on her feet and starts making a break for the slide while Felix trails behind her laughing. 

“Let’s go on the slide again!” she declares loudly already halfway up the slide ladder before you can respond as you move to follow after her.

“You just went on it a little bit ago.” you tell her as you shade your eyes against the sun as you look up at her.

“That was practice!” she tells you as if it was common knowledge. Felix stops beside you laughing as you nod your head at her words as if you were mistaken.

“I like her logic.” he says jovially and you chuckle softly at him while turning your head to the side to glance at him.

“Of course you do.” you say sarcastically and he grins widely at you, his eyes are bright as they dance happily across your face before he steps closer to the slide like he’s prepared to catch your niece at the bottom, just in case gravity decides to misbehave. You stand there watching them for a quiet moment among the chaos of kids. Felix crouches instinctively as your niece launches herself down the slide, arms up like ehs’es riding a roller coaster instead of a plastic slope. He catches her easily when she flies off the end, steadying her before she even wobbles.

“Woah! High speed!” he says impressed.

“I’m the fastest!” she announces proudly and Felix laughs as he nods his head at her.

“I totally believe it.” he tells her warmly and you smile as you shake your head. The two of them are like two peas in a pod easily getting along the moment they met. Today was only supposed to be simple babysitting, a few hours at the park so that your sister could get some errands and stuff done at the bank without having to drag your niece along with her. You figured some snacks, some play and maybe a little bit of chaos to wear the excitable kid out. But you didn’t account for Felix becoming her personal hype man within the first five minutes. Not that you’re surprised at all, it’s Felix. He somehow matches her energy without overwhelming it, meets her excitement with his own, like they’re operating on the same bright, unfiltered wavelength.

“Come on!” she calls out as she grabs his hand. “We’re going over there!” she announces while pointing her index finger out past the playground.

“Where’s there?” he asks her curiously as he tilts his head up to look beyond the playground.

“The important place.” she tells him and begins pulling him along behind her.

“Of course it is.” he says with a smile before he glances back at you, his eyebrows lift in a silent you coming? You’re already a step behind the two of them and you smile softly as you watch your niece drag Felix away.

“Lead the way.” you say softly as you continue to follow behind them feeling a warmth and softness start to fill you at how well Felix gets along with her.

The “important place” turns out to be a patch of grass just beyond the playground, dotted with tiny wildflowers and the occasional stubborn weed. Your niece drops down immediately before she starts scanning the ground like she’s searching for treasure. Felix mirrors her without hesitation, crouching beside her with the same level of seriousness. You plop down into the grass and lean back watching the two of them in their search.

“What are we looking for?” you ask them and without even looking up from their task your niece responds.

“A good one.” she says simply as she determinedly keeps searching. Felix nods his head as if he understands the task as a wide grin falls over his face.

“A very good one.” he echoes and you stare at him bewildered but he doesn’t look at you fully only out of the corner of his eyes while still grinning.

“Right.” you say after a quiet moment and Felix chuckles at you. It’s only a moment later that your niece gasps loudly and delightedly as she darts forward and plucks a small flower triumphantly from the ground before holding it up like she just discovered something rare and valuable.

“I found one!”” she declares loudly and proudly before moving closer to you which causes Felix to slip into the space besides you as well. Felix’s eyes light up as he watches her avidly waiting to see what she’ll do. You both watch with quiet baited breath as she holds the flower in one hand before reaching her other hand up and plucking a petal from the flower. “He loves me…” she says with absolute confidence and your face drops instantly while Felix giggles delightedly at her antics.

“Wait, wait, wait!” you begin as Felix devolves into giggles besides you. “What is this?! You don’t have a boyfriend.” you accuse her over exaggeratedly and she pouts at you for a second before stomping her foot which makes Felix fall back laughing loudly at the two of you.

“I can figure out the answer ahead of time!” she tells you confidently and you stare at her with a raised brow while she pouts at you.

“Awww, let her find out if her future boyfriend will love her.” Felix tries to cajole you but you shake your head adamantly.

“Her future far in the distant future should love her without question. That’s the whole point of a relationship.” you argue and Felix looks over at you with softened eyes as your niece scowls at you for ruining her fun. You don’t let her get away with that little scowl as you quickly scoop her up into your arms and cradle her close which makes her burst out into a fit of giggles. “Listen here little girl, I’m gonna tell you something very important about love and boyfriends.” you tell her seriously with an undertone of playfulness as you gather her close and press your forehead to hers. “If he doesn’t care for you and fall in love with you he’s not meant to be with you. Period. Understand me?” you tell her sternly and she grins at you widely while nodding her head against yours.

“Yes, Auntie I know. Mama tells me that all the time too.” your niece tells you sweetly and you huff at her before pecking her forehead as you let her loose in your lap. Felix looks over at you with a soft look on his face after that sweet display of affection for your niece. “Can I do the flower test for you then?” she asks as her eyes dart from you to Felix and you huff at her once more which makes her grin while Felix chuckles softly.

“You just want to pluck petals off a flower.” you grumble out and she eagerly nods her head at your words. “Fine, but I already know the answer to this question.” you say with an eyeroll and Felix melts at your words as he cuddles close to your side.

“Oh do you?” he asks curiously and you nod your head at him without an preamble.

“It’s kinda hard not to know the answer when I’ve got a boyfriend who’s sunshine personified.” you tease him gently and he bursts out in happy laughter before falling back into your side. “But go ahead if you want to masacre an innocent flower just to be able to do a test that I already know the answer to go on.” you say dramatically which makes your niece squeal in delight as Felix settles firmly against your side with a bright softened smile on his face.

“He loves me not…” you niece continues and Felix sticks his tongue out slightly at that answer which makes you smile warmly at him. The petal she plucks flutters through the air daintlty as it falls into your lap. “He loves me…” she says and Felix nods his head in agreement which makes you smile at the two of them. This continues on and Felix soon starts to lean in closer before resting his chin on your shoulder watching your niece pluck petal after petal.

“This is intense.” he whispers and you burst out in laughter at him.

“This is not intense.” you counter but he only hums in response while your niece shushes the two of you quickly. The two of you fall quiet as you both focus back on the flower and notice that there’s only two petals left.

“He loves me…” she says and plucks the second to last petal and you feel Felix tense besides you.

“Oh no.” you say softly already knowing that the two of them are going to be unbearable with the results.

“He loves me not.” she says and the petal falls slowly into your lap with a beat of silence following that almost throbs with intensity. Your niece gasps loudly and outrageously while Felix freezes besides you. It’s quiet for a moment before pandemonium crashes into your world.

“WHAT?!” Felix cries out loudly as he clutches his chest and falls back dramatically. You jump in place startled by his antics as you begin to chuckle at him. Your nieve jumps up from your lap to hover over Felix.

“It’s okay! It’s okay! We can find another one! The answer will be different!” she cries out dramatically and your laughter grows loud and bright at the display of chaos the two of them put on. “It’s just a game! The flower doesn’t know anything!” your niece is adamant as she cries which makes you laugh even louder. Suddenly Felix rises from his place in the grass and he connects eyesight with your niece before the two of them move in sync searching the grass for another flower to test their theory.

“Guys! Honestly?! I know the answer we don’t need to kill another flower for it.” you call out to them but neither of them listen to you as they both search the grass for the perfect specimen.

“No,” Felix says insistently as his eyes dart around the grass. “That one was clearly misinformed.” he tells you and your niece nods her head in agreement. 

“Found one!” she cries and Felix rushes to her side as they both stare down at the flower critically.

“Okay.” Felix agrees and your niece neatly grabs the flower before they both rush back to you. Felix takes his spot against your side while your niece takes her place in your lap. You chuckle softly at them while shaking your head at them. “Try again.” Felix instructs her and she nods her head eagerly before you all turn back to the flower.

“He loves me…” she says and plucks the first petal. “He loves me not…” Felix leans in again, watching with the same intense focus as before, like he’s personally invested in correcting the previous result. “He loves me…He loves me not…” Soon your niece is surrounded by a thing layer of petals as she sits perched in your lap. When she nears the end she starts to slow down no doubt for dramatic effect even Felix’s hands hover slightly like he might intervene if things go wrong again. One petal left and she plucks it with the precision only a small ten year old can muster. “He loves me!” she cries out as her whole face lights up. She turns to Felix and beams at him, Felix beams brighter right back at her before they both turn to you.

“See?” he says immediately, nodding with complete confidence. “Science.” he tells you and you snort out a laugh at the two of them.

“That’s not science.” you inform him and he glances at you while his grin softens just slightly.

“Still accurate though.” he says happily while your niece nods like this confirms everything. 

Your niece springs from your lap scattering the petals she had plucked before she begins to dance and twirl through the grass shouting that Felix loves you. You shake your head as you laugh at her but your attention soon shifts when Felix’s hand finds yours. It’s casual and easy almost like it belongs entwined with yours and you feel that it does belong there deep in your soul. His fingers curl around yours gently, giving a small reassuring squeeze before raising your hand to his mouth where he presses a soft kiss to the skin on the back of your hand. He’s still smiling while pecking kisses into the skin there as his eyes follow your niece, he’s still invested in the tiny world you’ve created on this patch of grass and that warms your heart and soul. You lean over and press a kiss to his temple making him beam at you before turning and capturing your lips with his. He hums happily against your mouth before you both pull away when you hear your niece running back towards you. When you look over at her you see that she’s got another flower in her hands with a happy eager look on her face.

“Again!” she demands happily and Felix brightens up beside you instantly.

“Again?” he asks and holds his arms open for her where she falls into his lap with a loud bright laugh. He looks over at you with eyes sparkling with happiness. “One more round?” he ask you and sigh pretending to be reluctant but a smile peeks out slightly.

“Fine.” you tell him with a nod of your head. He cuddles your niece into his lap securely and look down at her expectantly. “Wait,” you say suddenly and he looks over at you surprised. “If it says ‘he loves me not’ again-” you begin to warn him and he cuts you off easily.

“It won’t.” he says confidently.

“You don’t know that.” you warn him and he shakes his head at your words.

“I do.” he insists and you look at him skeptically.

“How?” you question and he grins before resting the side of his face against your shoulder as he looks up at you.

“Because I’m part of the experiment.” he tells you confidently and you rolled your eyes at him while still smiling.

“Your logic is terrible.” you tell him in a soft grumble.

“My results are great.” he informs you before your niece catches his attention while holding up the flower in front of her.

“...and then,” he’s saying, dragging your attention away from the cityscape below back to him as he paces a small familiar path across the roof. His hands move as fast as his thoughts race through his mind while he talks. “If we actually consider the possibility that-wait, no, because that doesn’t account for…okay but what if-” 

You’re only half listening to him at this point, not because you don’t care but because you've heard this rhythm before. The way his thoughts stack and tumble over each other before branching out into possibilities faster than he can finish explaining them. It’s comforting in a way for you, the way you know him so well and the way his brain works comforts you. His manner of speaking is like background music you’ve learned by heart and look forward to idly listening to. You know eventually he’ll wind down enough for the thoughts to start connecting and that’s when you’ll be able to contribute to the conversation but right now it’s better to just let him speedrun through his thoughts.

Your attention drifts from his chaotic jumble or words to the edge of the rooftop ledge, there something small catches your eye. A tiny pretty blue wildflower growing stubbornly from a crack in the concrete like it refused to accept that this wasn’t where it was supposed to be in the universe. You smile softly as your eyes trace the lone flower as a sense of rightness fills within you. You shift closer to the flower in a lazy unbothered manner before settling near the edge. The city stretches out beneath you as a breeze kicks up from below but your focus narrows on the small blue flower as you reach out and pluck it free from the crack in the cement. Han is still talking behind you as he continues pacing along the roof not noticing your own movements.

“...and statistically, if you think about it, there’s like a-wait, are you even listening to me?” he asks you as he finally turns and spots you leaning over the ledge holding the small flower in your fingers.

“Mmm?” you hum at him as you turn your head to look at him. You twirl the flower between your fingers for a moment before turning back to the flower. It’s small, a little uneven, definitely not meant for anything important but it had enough gusto to grow in such an unforgiven place that it made it perfect the idea that lazily formed in your mind. Jisung stares at you for a quiet moment before he shakes his head and begins talking once again about whatever was still racing through his mind. Your hand reaches forward and your fingers on your free hand pinch one of the petals on the flower before plucking it and tossing it over the edge of the rooftop ledge. Your eyes follow its path through the air and the breeze flies by catching it and lifting it in the air before dragging it down to the street below making it disappear from view into the darkening street like it never existed. “He loves me…” you murmur with a grin. 

You grab another petal and repeat the process watching as it falls downward into the dark abyss below never to be seen again as it serves it’s purpose for you to test the love from the man behind you. Jisung keeps talking exactly for two more seconds as his eyes follow your movements before he stops completely in mid-thought and mid-gesture as if his brain was rebooted without his consent.

“He loves me not…” you say in a soft lament as you lean over the edge watching the petal’s descent.

“Wait.” Jisung says softly as he narrows his eyes slightly at you in confusion but you pay him no mind as you reach out and pluck another petal.

“He loves me…” you say wistfully and before you can even toss the petal down the breeze snags it from your fingers and makes the petal dance high in the air. It’s quiet for a moment but you can feel the shift in the air between you and Jisung. The way his attention is now locked on you with full, immediate intensity.

“Wait, WAIT.” he says as he stumbles closer to you but he’s too late as you pluck the final petal from the small flower.

“He loves me not.” you say softly with a sad small pout forming on your mouth as silence falls around you and the empty stem rests between your fingers. You glance over at Jisung and he’s completely frozen in place on his way towards you like someone hit the pause button on him mid-existence. His eyes are wide and his mouth is slightly open and you can see that his entire brain is visibly buffering with what he just watched happen.

“That’s wrong.” he says on a soft gasp and you blink slowly at him.

“It’s just a flower.” you dismiss it with a shrug of your shoulders before tossing the stem over the ledge and Jisung stumbles forward into your side while pressing his hands against the ledge as he peers over the ledge to find the flower.

“But what if the flower knows something we don’t???” he asks worriedly and you stare at him bewildered.

“Jisung.” you say softly trying to calm him down but he runs a hand through his hair already pacing once again. His movements are faster now, tighter like his thoughts just hit a speed boost.

“No, think about it.” he starts to explain, words coming quicker as they stack over each other. “What if this is like-like some cosmic foreshadowing? Like a warning? Or…no, like a probability leak from the universe-like it’s telling us something before it actually happens.” You watch him spiral in real time with wide eyes before you speak up.

“Sung.” you call out to him hoping that it will filter through his spiraling thoughts.

“What if…okay, okay, what if every ‘he loves me not’ is like a micro-glitch in reality. Like a preview of a timeline where…no wait, no that’s worse-” he cuts himself off as he stops suddenly and turns to look at you like he’s just realized something deeply concerning. “We need to test it again.” he tells you and you open your mouth to tell him that you don’t but he’s already crouching as he scans the rooftop looking for another flower. He’s like a man on a mission as he searches, his eyes darting along every available space of the rooftop before he spots one. “There!” he cries out loudly.

There’s another tiny flower growing near a pipe on the other side of the rooftop. He rushes over to it quickly and plucks the flower from its place before immediately holding it up like it’s about to solve everything. He comes rushing back over to your side quickly pushing the flower into your hand and you look down at it before looking back up at him with a soft dazed smile on your face as you gaze at him.

“We’re running a retest.” he tells you and you can see how serious he is about this. You can’t stop the laugh that bubbles up within you and escapes out of your mouth.

“You’re unbelievable.” you tell him gently but he quickly shakes his head at you.

“I’m thorough.” he counters as his eyes fall back down to the flower in your hands now. “Come on. We need accurate data.”

“This isn’t data, Sung.” you try to reassure him but he stomps his foot a little bit in a temper tantrum and you bite your lip hard to stop your laugh.

“It is now.” he tells you, causing you to sigh out at him as a soft smile slips onto your face.

“Fine.” you say wearily and he drops down onto the ledge beside you resting his elbows there close enough that your shoulder brush, his entire focus locked knot the flower like it might explode.

“Okay,” he says softly, taking a deep breath like he’s preparing for something serious as he stares at the small red flower in your hand. “Go.” You shake your head as you chuckle quietly at him but you start anyway.

“He loves me…” you say as you pluck the first petal and then toss it over the ledge. Jisung leans in and over the ledge watching as the petal disappears down below. “He loves me not…” you say, causing him to wince as you pluck the second petal and toss it out into the nighttime air.

“That one doesn’t count.” he says suddenly and you look over at him in shocked amusement.

“You can’t just invalidate results you don’t like.” you tell him and he huffs at you softly.

“Yes I can if they’re wrong.” he tells you confidently and you grin widely at him before nudging his shoulder with yours.

“He loves me…” you say fondly with a warmth that fills the minimal space between the two of you and Jisung grins wide as he nods his head in agreement with the flower.

“Yes I do.” he says softly and your heart clenches sharply in your chest at his words.

“He loves me not…” you continue and he suddenly groans under his breath as his hands hover like he wants to intervene but doesn’t know how to.

“This is stressful.” he mutters softly and you huff at him with a grin.

“It’s just a game.” you reassure him.

“It’s not a game, this is my emotional stability.” he tells you firmly and you laugh softly at him.

“He loves me…” you continue on before tossing the petal. The flower grows more bare as each petal is plucked, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not. Jisung grows quieter and more focused on each petal being removed from the flower. Everything else has fallen away except this tiny ridiculous moment you created with him. You slow as you reach the end of the petals, there’s only two left. You dart your eyes over to him and see that he’s already staring at the flower with baited breath and wide unblinking eyes. He’s completely invested and you exhale slowly at him softly.

“You need to relax.” you tell him gently and his eyes dart over to you.

“I physically cannot.” he tells you and you stare at him quietly for a moment before darting forward and pressing your lips against his in a sweet chaste kiss. Jisung melts against you immediately and you smile when you hear him exhale through his nose after a second. When you pull back a little bit he chases after you and grin at him and peck his lips once more quickly.

“He loves me…” you whisper against his mouth and he grins dazedly at you as his eyes dart to the petal as it's tossed over the edge. He surprises you when he reaches forward quickly and plucks the last petal himself. He’s still only an inch away from you as you watch him toss the petal over the ledge before turning his eyes back to you.

“He loves you.” he hums out softly before wrapping his arms around you and slanting his lips against yours in a loving and adoring kiss that makes warmth bloom within you. When you’ve both had your fill of each other he wraps his arms more securely around you and keeps you tethered to him tightly. You blink up at him caught off guard for half a second before you relax into his arms feeling loved and dazed.

“What are you doing?” you ask him and he buries his face in your neck for a moment.

“Preventative measures.” he mumbles into your skin and you squirm in his hold. When his words reach your ears you smile before resting the side of your face against his head.

“Against what?” you ask him softly as your arms come up and begin rubbing his back as you fall into a trance.

“Statistical imbalance.” he tells you and you chuckle softly at him.

“That’s not how statistics work bub.” you tell him gently as he burrows further into your hold.

“It is if I say it is.” he tells you. “But just in case,” he continues, his voice growing quieter as it's muffled against your skin. “I’m loving you extra tonight to balance the statistics.” Your heart thuds heavily and warmly in your chest as your arms tighten their hold on him just a little.

“That’s not necessary.” you whisper to him.

It’s one of your favorite places in the world, it’s a place that you like to come to and just forget about the rest of the world. You kneel next to a raised garden bed with your hands buried deep in the earth, your fingers moving with practiced ease as you loosen stubborn roots and pull weeds free. DIrt gathers under your finger nails and smudges across your wrists. You come here often enough as you find peace in the work that you do that you don’t even notice the dirt anymore. 

You love it when you come here to work, it feels real to you and it keeps you grounded when the rest of your life gets too chaotic or out of control. Here you can work and lose yourself in the movement of weeding, planting and watering. A shadow falls over your patch of soil that you’re working on and you look up at Hyunjin as he stands over you blocking out the sun.

“You missed one.” he says cheekily as he grins down at you causing you to laugh out delightedly at his teasing before sticking your tongue out at him.

“I didn’t miss it,” you tell him as you tug a weed free with a small satisfied motion. “I was saving it.” There’s a pause above you and you smile knowing that you’ve captured his attention now.

“For what?” he asks you curiously as stands there watching you. You glance up at him again and show him the small dainty little flowering weed in your hand. He stands just at the edge of the garden bed, his sleeves are rolled up to his elbows. There’s a streak of dirt across his forearm like a badge of honor of his work in the garden with you today. His hair is slightly mussed, probably from running his hands through it every time he gets distracted, which admittedly is often. His artist’s brain and eye trying to capture every aspect of the day he’s spent with you so that he can recreate it in his sketchpad. The man looks out of place and completely at home at the same time and it’s infuriating to you in a way that warms your heart. He’s like someone who wandered into a painting and decided to stay while you look like you’re slow close to heat stroke that EMTs should be on call.

“For dramatic effect.” you tell him and toss the flowering weed onto the large pile of weeds that you have been pulling from the garden beds. He narrows his eyes slightly at you as if he’s trying to figure out if you’re teasing him.

“That’s not a thing.” he tells you and you laugh at him as you shrug your shoulders before reaching forward and grabbing another weed from the bed.

“It is now.” you tell him easily. Your dismissive words make him huff out a quiet laugh before he crouches down beside you, his knees brush against the edge of the wooden frame around the garden bed before nudging yours gently making you smile at him. Without asking, he reaches for another cluster of weeds and starts pulling them up, his movements a little less efficient than yours but no less determined.

“You’ve been doing this longer.” he mutters softly as if that’s an accusation.

“Years.” you answer with a nod of your head.

“I can tell.” he says with a puff of air escaping his mouth as he pulls roughly at a stubborn weed.

“Is that an insult?” you question him softly as you reach forward and help him pull the weed from the bed.

“It’s admiration.” he corrects quickly as the weed comes up from the soil with your help as you look over at you with a small smile. “You’re…weirdly good at this.” he tells you and it makes you grin widely at him as you tilt your head to the side.

“Weirdly?” you ask teasingly and he grins back at you as he nods his head.

“Very.” he confirms and you burst out laughing at him before you gently bump your shoulder against his. 

The two of you get back to work and it’s quiet again for a little while. Just the two of you, side by side, hands moving through soil searching out stubborn weeds. The rhythm of it is easy and familiar between the two of you. He works slower than you, occasionally pausing to examine something like it might reveal a secret if he stares long enough. You notice everything, the way he carefully separates roots instead of yanking them out. The way he brushes dirt off leaves like he’s apologizing to them for getting them dirty. The way he glances at you every so often, like he’s checking he’s doing it right.

You spot another weed near the edge of the garden bed, this one smaller than the ones prior that you’ve pulled up and it’s topped with a tiny white flower. You reach for it, easily pulling it free in one smooth motion. It’s delicate and soft in your hand, almost too pretty to be considered a weed. You turn it between your fingers and as your eyes follow it’s track something playful sparks in your chest.

”He loves me…” you say as you pluck it’s first petal from it and let the petal fall into your weed pile. Hyunjin pauses in his movement and his head whips up quickly and dramatically, he blinks a few times in stunned silence as his eyes narrow in on your hand.

”What?” He asks after his pause. You pluck the second petal and let it fall morosely to the weed pile.

”He loves me not…” you say so sorrowfully that Hyunjin’s mouth drops open in quiet dismay. Hyunjin’s eyebrows knit together over his eyes as he focuses fully on your actions and words.

”Is that-“ he starts and then stops watching your hands with intense eyes. “Wait, is that about me?” He asks in disbelief. You shrug your shoulders acting as deliberately casual as you possibly can in the face of his slow dramatics.

”Who else loverboy?” You ask him softly and that’s all it takes. He shifts closer immediately, abandoning his half-pulled weeds like they’ve offended him in some way only stubborn weeds can.

”I need to watch this.” He says softly his eyes darting from the flower in your hand up to your eyes before falling back to the flower.

”You don’t know if you love me?” You ask him teasingly with an exaggerated pout on your face. Hyunjin huffs at you and rolls his eyes before he darts forward and presses a quick kiss to your pouted lips before pulling away.

”Oh I know I love you. But I’ll let you test it in petals first and then when that ugly little weed lies on my feelings then I’ll be here to pick up the pieces of your poor broken heart.” He waxes on causing you to have to bite your tongue so that you don’t laugh outright at his declaration. You nod your head at him before going back to your flower.

”He loves me…” you say and another petal falls from the flower to the weed pile. “He loves me not…” The flutter of the petal almost looks like a tiny helicopter of all white. Hyunjin leans in like you’re performing something sacred as his eyes follow your every move. His elbows rest on his knees, his entire focus locked onto the tiny flower in your hands like it holds the fate of his whole world.

”This is a flawed methodology.” He mutters softly and you laugh at him as he frowns softly at the flower.

”He loves me…” you continue and another petal falls. “He loves me not…” Hyunjin watches each petal fall like it's personal, almost like every petal has something to prove to him. You glance over at him briefly and see how serious he is about this. You find it ridiculous but oddly endearing, he is being about this silly little game you’ve started. “He loves me…” you say and pluck the second to last petal.

Only one petal remains as you hold the flower up in front of you. The moment stretches a little longer as you both stare at the sad pathetic looking weed. Hyunjin’s eyes flick from the petal to your face and back again, anticipation sharpening every line of his expression.

”Okay,” he says quietly on a soft breath. “Be careful.”

”Be careful?!” You ask him bewildered as you turn to look at him as if he’s insane.

”Yes.” He says resolutely and you let out a soft bark of surprised laughter.

”It’s a flower.” You say incredulously causing him to shake his head adamantly.

”It’s an answer.” He tells you and you laugh under your breath as you turn back to the flower. You reach out and pluck the petal with deliberate over exaggeration as he watches.

”He loves me not.” You say with finality fit for a lead actress as the petal falls to the pile in a slow solemn flutter. 

Time freezes around you and Hyunjin goes completely still. The garden hums around you, bees buzz lazily in the air, the breeze makes the leaves whisper again and there are distant voices that can be heard, but right here, in this small patch of dirt everything narrows down to one very offended man and one very incriminating flower stem. Hyunjin blinks, once, twice, thrice. So slowly that it looks as if he’s moving frame by frame as if life was captured on an old movie reel.

”Excuse me!?” He asks loudly and dramatically as he presses a hand to his chest over his heart. You burst out laughing at his dramatic actions.

”It’s just a silly game!” You cry out amused and Hyunjin shakes his head quickly.

”No,” he says immediately, his voice is low and dangerous in a way that is entirely theatrical. “No, that is slander.” He says seriously causing you to laugh once again.

”It’s random.” You counter but he doesn’t let up.

”It’s wrong.” He argues and you shake your head at him still laughing and holding up the empty stem like evidence.

Before you can say anything in your defense he moves, fast and almost imperceptible. One second he’s crouched beside you in the dirt, the next he lunges at you and you barely have time to register what’s happening before his hands catch your sides. You yelp as he tackles you sideways into the freshly dug flower bed. Soft soil breaks your fall, it’s loose and forgiving but the fall still knocks the breath from your lungs for a moment.

”Hyunjin!” You cry out.

”You cannot accept that result.” He declares dramatically as he hovers over you, his hair falls into his face as his eyes blaze down at you with theatrical outrage. “I refuse.” He insists and you’re half-laughing, half trying to shove him off you.

”You just tackled me over a flower.” You cry out incredulously.

”A lying flower.” Hyunjin corrects you and you huff up at him as he gazes down at you fondly.

”Flowers don’t speak, they can’t lie!” You cry out to him and he shakes his head.

”It is absolutely lying. I told you it would!” He tells you, causing you to huff at him and push lightly at his shoulder.

”You’re ridiculous.” You tell him as you smile warmly up at him.

”Tragically correct.” He counters and you stare up at him exasperatedly. He stares back at you, his hair still falling into his eyes. There’s dirt on his cheek now and you reach up to brush it away with your thumb. He leans into your touch and the moment stretches onward, something softer threading through the laughter and chaos of it all. His eyes darted down to the flower stem that’s still clutched in one of your hands caught between your fingers. His expression shifts into something less dramatic and more certain. He gently takes the stem from your hand, holding it between his fingers like it’s evidence in a case he’s already decided on. ”This,” he says while lifting the flower slightly so that you both can see it, “is unreliable.”

”Oh?” You question him as you raise an eyebrow curiously. He leans in closer, close enough that you can see the faint dusting of soil along his jaw, the way his lashes catch the sunlight filtering through the leaves above. 

“Because I know the answer.” He tells you softly and your breath catches in your throat a little bit.

”And?” You ask him after correcting your breathing. His lips curve slowly and confidently as his eyes sparkle fondly at you.

”And it’s not the answer it gave us.” He tells you honestly. You swallow your laugh that’s turned into something quieter as you gaze into each other’s eyes. He doesn’t look away from your eyes as they stay connected in the quiet moment. He leans down towards you and presses his lips to your nose first making you chuckle softly at his antics before he shifts and tilts his head to the side and captures your lips softly with his. The kiss is sun drenched, warm and light as you’re pressed further into the soil beneath you. When he pulls back his expression is smug in the gentlest way as your arms come up around his neck keeping him close. “Consider that a correction.” He husks out to you. You stare at him for a second and then laugh breathless and bright.

”You’re insane.” You tell him.

Changbin weaves in and out of the crowd of people who are perusing the vendor stalls with an ease and precision that negates his stocky build. He had called you up and asked you to join him on his hunt for one of the food truck vendors that he liked since he had heard they would be here at the market tonight. You had happily come out with him so that you could spend more time with him doing things that he loved, not to mention you loved how excited he got for good food.

“Wait, wait, wait.” Changbin says softly as he stops short in his tracks and begins looking around the market. You nearly get pulled off your feet when Changbin suddenly pivots sharply to the left and gasps loudly and dramatically as he spots a food truck. “That’s it!” he says excitedly as his eyes light up like he’s spotted treasure. “That’s the truck.” he tells you as he points towards a line of food trucks and you raise an eyebrow surreptitiously as you dart your eyes back to him.

“Binnie, there’s like five trucks over there. Which one is it that you’re looking for?” You tease him as a grin slips across your face. He huffs at you before tugging you closer to him which makes you chuckle at him and he pouts softly at you.

“The one with the black banner and the red lettering.” he tells you hurriedly before he’s moving again and dragging you along with him. “They do that spicy pork thing I told you about, the one I couldn’t stop thinking about for, like, three days!” he says and your grin widens on your face at his words.

“You think about food all the time anyway.” you tell him and he huffs at you once again as he weaves between the crowd on his path to the food truck.

“This was different.” he insists and you laugh delightedly at him as he moves now with the focus of someone on a very important mission. He’s got one goal, one destination in mind and absolutely zero hesitation about dragging you through the sea of strangers to get there.

“Bin,” you call out to him trying not to trip over your feet as you stumble to keep up with him. “So down please. I can’t move as fast as you.” you tell him and Changbin immediately slows his gait before pulling you closer into his side.

“Sorry, I’m just so excited to eat their food again.” he apologizes and you smile warmly at him as you cuddle into his side before pecking his cheek quickly.

“I know, you just gotta slow down a little that’s all.” you tell him warmly and he nods his head as he keeps you close and weaves through the crowd at a slower pace now. You grin fondly at him as you spot the soft blush creeping up the back of his neck while a warm affection fills you at his antics. He’s just being him, loud, enthusiastic, fully committed to whatever he’s decided matters in the moment. And right now, that’s food.

The two of you finally reach the truck in question, it’s tucked slightly off to the side but it’s still surrounded by enough people to prove how popular it is. Your eyes dart around the truck and see the black truck and the bold red striking letters already seeing how it caught Changbin’s attention to begin with but you know that he prides himself on finding good tasting food so you don’t doubt his recommendation to eat here.

“I promise, it’ll be worth it.” he tells you and you nod your head at him before turning to look at the menu on the side of the truck as Changbin settles into the back of the line with you.

“I don’t doubt you but it better be good after you dragged me across half the market for their food.” you tease him and he pouts at you again which makes you grin, he’s so easy to rile up like this.

“I guided you.” he insists.

“You yanked me.” you counter and he ducks his head to get closer to your neck and ear crowding close to you.

“Semantics.” he huffs out at you and you roll your eyes at him while chuckling softly at him. The two of you don’t have to wait very long before reaching the front of the line and you let him place orders for the both of you since he knows what kind of food they offer as well as knowing what you enjoy. You find it cute when he orders with the confidence of someone who has rehearsed this moment in his head.

After he places your orders the two of you step to the side where there are a few tall standing tables for those who are eating from the food trucks to eat comfortably. The chaos of the market settles around you into something more manageable, it’s still loud and bright but now it feels like part of the fun instead of something you’re navigating through. As you both settle at the table together you can see Changbin keeps glancing back at the truck like they might forget his order if he looks away too long which makes you chuckle softly before speaking up.

“You’re staring.” you tell and he quickly looks at you before turning back to the food truck.

“I’m monitoring.” he insists and you laugh at him before shaking your head at his ridiculousness.

“You’re staring babe.” you argue and he pouts softly while still staring at the food truck.

“I’m ensuring quality.” he tells you and that causes you to burst out into happy delighted laughter.

“Let them do their job. They obviously know what they’re doing. You even insisted they make good food and your standards are high. Relax babe.” you tease him softly and he huffs in response before turning back towards you.

“Fine, while we wait, what do you want to do?” he asks you with a soft smile. You glance around and your eyes land on  a large cement planter with an array of pretty flowers planted in it, your eyes dart around it and spot a singular slightly wilted daisy peeking through the soil at the edge of the planter. You reach over and grab the flower out of the planter and hold it up in front of the two of you while resting your elbow on the table you’re standing at. “What are you doing?” he asks curiously as he tilts his head to the side slightly while staring at the flower in your hand. You spin the flower in between your fingers watching it move as a small smile tugged at your lips.

“He loves me…” you say warmly and fondly as you pluck the first petal from the flower. Changbin gasps dramatically and then rests his own elbows on the table and sets his chin in his palms as he watches you with excited eyes and a wide grin on his face. “He loves me not…” you say and the second petal falls from the flower onto the table which makes Changbin pouts exaggeratedly at you and the flower.

“Nope, go back to the other option.” he says in a rush and you grin at him as you reach forward and pluck the next petal from the flower.

“He loves me…” you say and he nods his head proudly as he agrees with the flower now.

“Yup, that’s the answer. The only answer.” he says fondly and you grin at him warmly before puckering your lips and blowing him a kiss which makes him grin and duck his head. You continue on with the silly little flower test on the table as you both rest there while waiting for your food. Changbin is fully invested now as the petals fall and create a small pile on the table, each he loves me earns you a proud puff of his chest as he grins while looking around at the others walking around the market as he nods his head. But each he loves me not earns you a dramatic pout and an insistent shake of his head as he disagrees with the flower logic. After a while his eyes narrow with every falling petal, his expression shifting from delight to suspicion to something that looks dangerously close to offense.

“What’s wrong?” you ask him softly as your eyes dart around his face and he frowns softly at you before his eyes dart back to the flower.

“I don’t think this is a reliable system to test my love for you.” he tells you honestly and you all but melt against the table with his honest words but you continue to tease him gently.

“We don’t know that for sure.” you tell him hopefully and he quickly shakes his head.

“Jagi, I do know that.” he says adamantly as he stares at you. “I know how I feel about you. I don’t need a flower to tell me or test my feelings.” he tells you and you feel your chest crack open with love and affection for the man in front of you.

You don’t question yourself as you drop the flower on the table on top of the small pile of petals that you had created. You move around the table and easily wrap your arms around his neck and press in close, you begin to pepper kisses across his face causing Changbin to grow shy and giddy at your loving affection.

“I love you too. It was just a stupid silly game. You’re absolutely right I don’t need a flower to tell me how you feel about me and how I feel about you.” you mumble out to him adoringly in between pecks along his face. Changbin whines softly at your gesture of love as he wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you close into his chest.

“You silly woman.” he tells you affectionately before capturing your lips quickly for a second. You both stand there for a moment kissing each other sweetly before there’s a loud call of Changbin’s name from the food truck behind you both. Changbin’s head lifts slowly and he looks at you for a moment which surprises you since he was so excited to come get food from the food truck with you. He presses a kiss to your forehead as he smiles warmly down at you. “I’ll be right back.” he tells you quickly before he rushes to the truck and gathers your orders before making his way back to you at the table. You go to move back to the other side of the table but Changbin quickly slips his arm around your waist and tugs you back into his side. “Where are you going? I want you here.” he says softly to you before he starts setting out both of your food for each other.

He splits the orders in half so that you can both enjoy them together. When he’s done he slides your plate over to you and you beam at him happily before leaning over and pressing a kiss to his cheek once again. He hums softly and turns his head pouting his lips at you for a proper kiss which you happily bestow on him. He then darts his eyes to the pile of petals in the middle of the table before moving his eyes back to you.

“So are we done relying on flowers to confirm our love for each other?” he asks you skeptically and you laugh at him before leaning into his side slowly.

“Yes, I promise never to doubt your love or need to use a flower to confirm it.” you tell him warmly with a nod of your head. “I see if in every considerate action you have around me.” you tell him and he grins widely at your words pride exuding from him in waves.

“Good.” he says with a resolute nod of his head. “That flower was going to give you the wrong answer anyway.” he says and you furrow your brows at him before looking back over to the flower. You mentally counted the petals and saw that he was right, it would’ve landed on he loves me not in the end. Turning back to him you stare at him surprised which makes him scoff softly at you. “I might be easily distracted and can’t multitask but when it truly matters I know how to focus fully and look towards the future or end.” he defends himself and you chuckle softly at him before you tilt your head at him with a wide smile on your face. “What?” he asked.

“You just confessed that I truly matter to you.” you tell him and he bursts out loudly in indignation.

“Yah! I just told you I loved you! Of course you truly matter to me!” he cries out loudly and you burst out into delighted happy giggles at his loud voice that catches the attention of others around you. “Woman, I swear.” he grumbles out and you fall into his side laughing loudly at him as he rolls his eyes at you.

“I love you.” you tell him softly as you look up at him from leaning into his side and he smiles warmly down at you.