You can't sleep. You're not sure how anyone can. Though it seems Yunho and Jongho have found a way, if their soft snores and still bodies are anything to go by. You can just barely make out the shape of their cots across the poorly lit room.

It's pitch back where the three of you sleep. Shut away in the musty confines that reside in the back of the mechanic shop the three of you use for cover. The door to which is concealed behind a false tool shelf. And though you know it's all in favor of staying hidden, you're not sure how much more of the space you can take tonight.

The walls echo far too much. Every noise from the outside seeps in and gets replayed on a haunting loop. Screams of rebels who couldn't escape in time. Boots stomping down the alleyway as Android Guardians begin their nightly watch. Homes being ripped apart by mandatory raids. Each sound sends your anxiety spiking through the roof.

Yunho stirs, and his cot makes a horrible creaking sound that startles you. You're surprised it doesn't wake Jongho, who recently developed the unfortunate habit of being a light sleeper. Your own cot whines under your shifting weight. The rock-solid mattress does nothing to help you relax. And the thin quilt over your legs starts to feel suffocating more than anything.

There's a shout in the distance, sirens, your body tenses. Your breathing becomes jagged and your gut screams at you to seek a way to ground yourself. You want– no, need comfort.

Your mind wanders to the two boys with you, gaze landing on Jeong Yunho first. He feels like the obvious answer. Gentle. Kind. A soft yet strong presence in a world you believed, prior to meeting him and his friends, had wiped away all that was good indefinitely. He'd probably stay up with you if asked, indulge your thoughts, and listen to your fears. Understanding and without judgment. But there's a pull at your heart and this little voice in the back of your head that pleads with you to seek out Choi Jongho instead.

A boy who, until a few months ago, you knew little about. He was the last to fully embrace you among the group of outlaws you'd stumbled upon some time ago. You never really knew what to make of him. At times, his hardened gaze and dauntless aura seemed cold. Intimidating. Unmoveable. Though it didn't seem to be out of disdain or indifference, but instead, an instinctual hesitance and innate urge to protect the only family he had left.

It wasn't until you were assigned to go undercover with him and Yunho that you finally began to understand one another on a deeper level. You told him of your past, your cause, and why you wanted to fight against the tyranny of your unjust world. And, eventually, he told you of his.

Yunho brought out a more playful side to him. And though they were rare, you had been privileged with occasional moments of carefree bliss with the two of them. You'd like to think you caught glimpses of who he might have been before all of this. When the world was okay. When he was allowed to show his emotions unfiltered.

You've grown to enjoy his peaceful and quiet nature. Seen moments of empathy and the concern that clouds his shiny eyes when Yunho cries about the unfairness of it all. Your feet carry you from your bed to Jongho's without much thought behind the action. Propelled by your growing nerves and heart slamming violently into your ribcage.

Reaching out, you gently shake his shoulder. He grumbles and turns to his side. Eyes still closed, he hums. "Mmm, what is it?" There's grogginess laced into his words, but he doesn't seem annoyed, which is good.

Still, you feel silly. Waking him up just because you're a little jumpy? Now that you're here, it even seems as though the outside noises have ceased. This is pointless, you think. But then that tiny voice in your brain pipes up once more and forces the request to form on your tongue.

"Can I stay with you for a little bit? Please." Though you whisper, your voice seems loud between the four walls and you cringe at how it echos.

Jongho peeks one eye open and you can see the gears cranking to life in his brain. He blinks a few times, looks to Yunho who's sleeping soundly, then back to you. His soft pout and half-lidded eyes don't give you much hope. For a moment, you consider rushing out an apology and returning to your own bed. But then, wordlessly, Jongho feels around for the edge of his blanket and lifts it. The metal frame of his cot squeaks as he shuffles and readjusts to create space for you to crawl in. You do. And that voice in your head finally quiets, as does the longing in your heart.

An impossibly strong arm encircles your waist and pulls you into Jongho's warmth. He cradles your head, face buried in his chest as his chin rests atop. "You're scared." He states, though you think he meant it as a question.

You wonder what gave it away first. The subtle shaking in your limbs, waver in your voice, the fact you sucked up every ounce of pride you had left just to approach him in the first place. But yeah, you are. 

"Yeah."

Something metal clatters just outside and you flinch, fingers hurriedly fisting the back of Jonho's cotton shirt. He only holds you tighter.

"Me too," is all he says before letting out a long breath and allowing sleep to overtake him again. His movements still and his breathing evens out to a steady pace. You match it, letting the safety he provides guide you to your first peaceful night in a long time.

“Didn’t you see them at dinner?” Hongjoong laughed. “They couldn’t stop stealing little glances at each other the whole time.”

Yunho frowned. “I thought that was because Wooyoung and San were telling bad jokes.”

“That was part of it,” Hongjoong admitted. “But it also made good cover the rest of the time. And didn’t you notice they stayed near each other the whole way to the ice cream place, kind of behind everyone else? And they didn’t offer to share a bite of their ice cream with anyone but each other.”

Yunho hadn’t thought anything of it. “That doesn’t mean they’re dating, though.”

Hongjoong smirked. “What about how they were both at the restaurant together before any of the rest of us?”

“I thought it was just down the road from where they work,” Yunho reminded him.

“Pretty sure I saw them letting go of each other’s hands when we got there,” Hongjoong said. Yunho saw him turn his head and observe the two of you in the back seat. “They’re practically holding hands now, too.”

Yunho glanced into the rearview mirror again. Your head was slumped against Jongho’s shoulder, and Jongho’s head was dangerously close to leaning fully against yours, tilted just so. You both had your hands in your laps, but you both sat close together and his right and your left hands were slightly touching, Jongho’s pinky and ring finger covering yours.

“That’s not really holding hands,” Yunho said, but he felt doubt creeping in.

Yunho jerked back to attention as the car began to drift onto the rumble strip. He straightened the car out as the two of you in the back seat stirred. Yunho saw Jongho’s eyes flutter open briefly before Yunho snapped his attention back to the road, partly to drive safer and partly not to get caught staring. From the corner of his eye, Yunho saw Hongjoong looking at his phone, another cover.

The two of you in the back seat shifted a little, and from the brief glance into the mirror Yunho saw you had shifted closer together. Your head was settled solidly against Jongho’s shoulder now, his resting atop yours, cheek smushed against your head.

Hongjoong shot Yunho a look, glancing pointedly back at the two of you and then at him again.

“Sure, I’ll take your bet,” Yunho said. “People can just be physically affectionate friends.”

“They can,” Hongjoong agreed, leaning back in his seat, “but we’ll see.”

Yunho eased to a stop at a red light, wincing as the car jolted over a pothole.

The two of you stirred a little in the back seat again at the jolt, and Yunho watched in the mirror.

“Love you,” you mumbled, not opening your eyes.

“Hmm, love you,” Jongho sighed, turning his face slightly closer into your head. His hand took yours, fingers threading together.

Yunho blinked several times, staring at the two of you in the mirror, but each time, your hands were still linked. He glanced over at Hongjoong, who was staring straight ahead through the windshield, the biggest smirk on his face.

Yunho sighed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his wallet. Taking a bill from inside, he reluctantly slapped it into Hongjoong’s waiting, upturned palm before the light turned green.

his “shop”, if you could even call it that, was a little garage in some random house he was apparently renting out to work in

prior to this visit, you had asked Jongho on your way to school how you were supposed to get your car to Mingi’s shop

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll take care of it” was all he had replied

stupid rich kids and their ominous words 

Sure enough, the Saturday Jongho picked you up, your car was gone from your driveway

“What did you do with my car, Choi?” You had asked, staring him down from outside his car

if questioned, Jongho would deny the funny feeling in his chest when you looked at him like that

“It’s already waiting at the shop for us, so c’mon, let’s get going.”

when the two of you had arrived to Mingi’s shop, you were pleasantly surprised at how organized and mechanic-y everything seemed

you’re not really sure what you were expecting tbh

when Jongho said he had a friend who was good with cars

you thought he might’ve been talking about some old guy his family knew or something

not an incredibly tall, incredibly handsome man with a cute smile

if your mind wasn’t already preoccupied by a certain someone, you could have very easily fallen for this Mingi guy

“Mingi, this is my friend (Y/n), her car stopped turning on a few days ago and I was wondering if you could check it out.”

as straightforward as ever, that Jongho

“Hi,” you waved a little awkwardly

Mingi returned the gesture with a small “hello” before raising a brow at Jongho

“(Y/n), huh?”

luckily for Jongho, you were a little too busy looking around the garage to notice this exchange between the two friends

it was also lucky for Mingi because Jongho had already planned about five different ways he could make the tall boy disappear without a trace if needed

“So, do you think you could help her out?” Jongho had asked, trying to get out of there as soon as possible

Mingi nodded

“Yeah but it’ll take me at least a week and a half, I’ve got a lot of school things going on plus some other clients I’m working on first”

you blinked in surprise

“Oh, you’re in school too?”

Mingi hummed

“Yup, I’m a year older than this kid over here,” he nodded his head towards Jongho, who rolled his eyes

“I’ve never seen you around before,” you mentioned offhandedly

“I go to a different school than you two”

you nodded

“Well, thank you for agreeing to help me out with my car, I really do appreciate it,” you thanked Mingi sincerely

“Of course! Any friend of Jongho’s is a friend of mine.”

his smile is so cute

“Okay well, now that that’s settled, we should get going now, thanks man,” Jongho all but pushed you out of the shop

“Bye Mingi!” you waved, barely catching the small wave he returned 

once the two of you were gone, Mingi couldn’t help but laugh to himself 

“that kid” he shook his head before returning back to work

it had been a few weeks since then and now, you officially had your car back

the morning your car had been returned to you, you were peacefully sleeping in, seeing as it was a Sunday and you had completed all your assignments for the weekend

then, your phone began buzzing incessantly 

with your eyes still closed, you reached a hand out from your little blanket burrito and blindly reached for the annoying device

“what?” you questioned, annoyed that whoever was calling you had so rudely disturbed your beauty rest

“oh, so I guess you don’t want your car back?” Jongho’s teasing voice sounded through the speaker 

“huh?” you yawned

“I’m outside with your car,” was all Jongho had managed to get out before you cut him off

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” you yelled into the phone, running outside 

sure enough, there stood Jongho, leaning against your precious car

“my baby,” you whispered, softly touching the roof of the car

Jongho laughed 

“alright weirdo, Mingi said it was a problem with the engine, but he went ahead and fixed it up for you. He said to let him know if you have anymore problems and he’ll be happy to fix it for you.”

but you were hardly listening, already sitting in the driver’s seat, happy beyond belief that your car had finally been returned 

and maybe a little sad you wouldn’t be able to see Jongho everyday

stepping out of your car, you threw your arms around Jongho’s neck 

“thank you” you whispered sincerely 

the poor boy had frozen as soon your skin touched his, but he was quick to snap himself out of it and placed his hands softly on your waist 

“anything for a friend” he swallowed

now that your car had officially been returned, you began brainstorming ways to pay Jongho back for being your chauffeur

except there was one tiny problem 

you had no idea what to do

so, after four days of being unable to come up with anything, you decided to ask someone who would for sure know what Jongho would like 

“Mingi I need your help” you all but yelled as you walked into his garage 

you startled him from where he laid under a car and he jumped, smacking his head on the underside of the car

“oh fuck” the man cursed 

“oh my god I’m so sorry” you apologized, running over to where he was sliding out 

Mingi waved you off, saying he just gets startled easily 

“So,” he started, wiping some sweat off his forehead

“What’s up? Did something happen with your car again?” he asked concerned

you shook your head

“No, actually, my car’s never run this smooth before so thank you”

He blushed 

“I need help with Jongho” you admitted

“Finally!” Mingi threw his hands up in the air 

“Do you know how much that kid talks about you? At first it was cute, but after a while, it got really annoying. Honestly, I’m glad you’re confessing first because for some reason he doesn’t have the balls to do it, keeps saying that he ‘doesn’t think you feel the same’.” he made air quotes when he said those last few words

“Uh, Mingi?” your face felt hot 

“which is a load of bs because you guys are obviously so into each other,” the man in front of you continues 

“Mingi, I’m not confessing!” you blurt out

he stops 

“What?”

“I-I’m not confessing to Jongho” you stammer out 

“I want to do something to thank him for helping me out the past few weeks, but I don’t know what he likes or doesn’t like so I have no clue what to do” you explain

it’s quiet for a moment 

“oh”

the two of you stare at each other in silence before Mingi clears his throat

“well, confession or not, it’s all the same,” he starts 

you open your mouth to correct him, but he doesn’t let you speak

“Jongho’s a simple man. He’s not huge on big displays of affection or flashy parties or gifts or anything. He prefers small, but sentimental things, you know, like something that shows that you put some time and effort into it” Mingi explains

you nod, taking mental notes

“But honestly, because it’s you, Jongho would be happy even if you gave him a piece of fruit,” Mingi fixes you with look you can’t quite understand

electing to ignore the last comment, you take Mingi’s advice into consideration

“Alright that makes sense”

you fix your bag that rests on your shoulder

“Well, thank you for all your help Mingi” 

he waves you off 

“It’s nothing”

“But,” Mingi points at you, “if you guys end up together, you’ll have to give me the credit”

you roll your eyes, shoving him slightly 

“Bye Mingi” you walk out of his shop, his loud laugh echoing behind you

that night, you had stayed up thinking of different things you might be able to do 

“something small, but sentimental,” you muttered to yourself, laying on your bed

suddenly, a thought popped into your head

you scrambled to grab your phone, sending Jongho a message to meet you at your place the next morning 

“ok” he replied, surprisingly fast

smiling to yourself, you stood up and began gathering the things you were going to need to pull this off

the next morning, you were already outside standing in front of your car when Jongho pulled up in front of your house 

he quickly parked before stepping out onto the sidewalk and making his way over to you

“care to explain why you needed me here so urgently?” he questioned

you smiled brightly at him

“It’s finally time to pay you back for all your help!” you exclaimed

Jongho let out a small “ah” before reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out his phone

“what are you doing?” you asked puzzled

“sending you my bank account info” came his simple reply 

you couldn’t help the way your mouth dropped open

Jongho glanced up and let out a happy laugh at your reaction 

“I’m kidding.” 

you pouted at his laughter and punched his arm 

“jerk” you muttered

“no but seriously,” he continued once his laughter had died down. “what’s the plan?”

“well now, telling you would ruin the fun, wouldn’t it?” you teased 

“just get in the car and you’ll find out,” you called as you unlocked your car and walked over to the driver’s side 

once the two of you sat in your car, you inserted the key and listened as the engine came to life

“if you’re driving, I might have to tell my family to get the will ready,” Jongho grimaced

“oh shut up, you drama queen,” you rolled your eyes as the two of you took off

a thirty minute drive later, you two had finally arrived to an empty parking lot

turning off your car, you excitedly got out and began grabbing something from the trunk that Jongho couldn’t see 

“You know,” Jongho started as he recognized where the two of you were at

it was a small, mostly unknown park on top of a hill that overlooked your city

“If you brought me here to kill me and take my money, you should’ve at least made me turn off my location,” he teased

only to stop abruptly when he finally faced you

his eyes took in your small, slightly awkward smile as you faced him

in your hands was a wicker basket and over your arm was a blanket 

a picnic basket he realized 

“surprise” you laughed nervously 

Jongho didn’t say anything, so you continued speaking 

“I said I was going to pay you back somehow and this is what I came up with. I know it’s small and nothing fancy, especially compared to what you might be used to, but I had some help from Mingi and he said you weren’t a fan of flashy or extravagant gifts-”

your rambling was cut short when Jongho took a step forward so that the two of you were inches apart

“Thank you,” he whispered, staring into your eyes

your mind blanked and all you could think about was how close he was

“uh, yeah” you said breathlessly, unable to break the eye contact the two of you held. “anytime”

Jongho broke the eye contact when he gently grabbed the basket out of your arms 

before you could even begin protesting, he gently shushed you 

“what kind of gentleman would I be if I made you do all the heavy lifting?” he quirked a brow 

“well that could hardly be considered heavy” you replied, ignoring the warmth in your chest 

you two entered the park, and once you found a suitable patch of grass to rest on, Jongho helped you fix the blanket and take out all the food you had prepared 

you guys ate comfortably, making light-hearted conversation and cracking jokes 

sometimes, it felt as if the two of you had known each other forever 

“so,” Jongho started once you guys had finished your sandwiches

“you went to Mingi for help?” 

you let out a small laugh

“yeah, well, I was going crazy trying to figure out a way to repay you and finally I decided, hey, might as well ask someone who’s close to you because then I definitely can’t mess up”

your mind went back to the conversation you had with the mechanic 

“it’s funny though,” you began 

Jongho hummed, urging you to continue 

“Mingi thought I was confessing to you.”

Jongho couldn’t help but choke on his drink 

“ohmygod” you watched as Jongho coughed violently

you reached into the picnic basket and pulled out some extra napkins you had brought with you, handing them to Jongho 

“are you okay?” you asked with genuine concern

Jongho nodded, using the napkins to wipe down his pants where he had spilled his drink 

“yeah, that just caught me by surprise” he choked out, trying to ignore the way his neck was beginning to feel hot 

there was brief moment of awkward silence 

“what did you say?” 

“huh?” you turned to Jongho wide-eyed

“to Mingi?” he clarified. “What did you tell him when he asked you that?”

You let out a nervous laugh 

“I mean, I told him what I was planning, which he didn’t seem to believe for some reason.”

you could feel Jongho’s stare on the side of your face, which caused you continue talking 

“Yeah, he mentioned something about you having feelings for me? Which I didn’t believe, because like, you’re the Choi Jongho and I’m just some student on a scholarship and we’ve only known each other for a few months so it wouldn’t really make sense.”

Jongho frowned at the way you seemed to talk down upon yourself 

“What if he was right?” he cut you off 

“What?”

“What if Mingi was right, that I have feelings for you?” Jongho repeated himself. 

your mind went blank, and you could do nothing but stare at Jongho

when did he get so close you wondered, noticing how he was now a few inches away from your face

you swallowed harshly, your mouth suddenly feeling dry 

you pretended not to notice the way his eyes glanced quickly at your lips before returning to your eyes 

ever so slowly, Jongho neared your face until you could feel his breath on your lips

“Is this okay?” he whispered

you opted not to answer and instead leaned forward to close the tiny gap that rested between you two 

Jongho’s lips were incredibly soft, you noted

he was also an incredibly gentle kisser, bringing his hand up to softly hold your cheek

he kissed you like he had all the time in the world

after what felt like forever, the two of separated to catch your breath

Jongho rested his forehead softly on yours, keeping his hand on your cheek to stroke the sides of your face

“wow” you said breathlessly 

Jongho giggled, a gummy smile overtaking his face and his eyes turning into little crescents 

“I’ve been wanting to do that forever” he shyly admits

you smile, scooting closer to him and leaning your head onto his shoulder 

Jongho’s arm slowly sneaks around your waist and he turns his head to lay a soft kiss on your head 

there, the two of you sit contently in each other’s arms watching the sun rise over your city

                                         ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

yawning, the first thing jongho did when he's conscious is to find you by patting the bed. odd, you used to be beside him. worried, jongho hurriedly got up and wore a random shirt he found on the floor and opened the door as he was immediately hit by the smells of pancakes. he smiled before going downstairs to the kitchen to see you humming to a song he can barely recognise.

his hands found purchase on your waist hugging you with his chin on your shoulder, startling you a little. you chuckled before turning around, giving your boyfriend a smile before pecking his cheek.

“you left me alone in the cold empty bed.” jongho dramatically pouts.

giving a cheeky grin, you shook your head and pointed to the pancakes cooking. pinching both his cheeks, you wrapped your hands around his neck closing in the distance between the two of you.

“i would gladly kiss you right now but i need to brush my teeth first and your pancakes is gonna be burnt.” giving your cheek a peck, he left you alone again in the kitchen assuming he went to the bathroom to do his business.

as the pancakes are finish, you began plating them placing them on the dining table and washing the leftover dishes as you wait for jongho's return.

hearing the chair screech a bit, you quickly finish washing before wiping your hands dry and making your way to sit ready to eat. jongho expertly cut his pancakes with the fork and knife, dramatically expressing how delicious your pancakes were. so dramatic.

after breakfast you placed the dirty dishes back on the sink before washing your hands and going back to bed, jongho's long gone waiting for you. as soon as you open the door, jongho's making grabby hands at you making you laugh and embracing the big bear.

“i'm so lucky to have you, how the hell did i even secure you?” you asked while laughing.

“it's these right here baby, without this i wouldn't even met you.” he started kissing his biceps and making those weird poses you always see those bodybuilders do.

your silly boyfriend, you thought.

yall, what the hell was this 🧍🏻‍♀️

“Y’know, I actually kinda hate you.”

Scoffing, you tapped Jongho’s forehead with the jenga block you’d just taken out of the tower, somehow managing to do it despite his goading and the precarious position the piece was in. You wiggled your eyes at the idiot before placing it on the top, ignoring his over exaggerated complaints due to the ‘pain’.

“I take back the kinda, I just plain old hate you.”

Rolling your eyes, you rubbed the extremely small mark your made on his forehead, proceeding to then kiss it better.

“Stop being a pussy.”

Despite your words, Jongho’s cheeks were red from your actions, his ears also a similar colour. He’d frozen in place, a dopey smile on his face as you faced the other way, impatiently waiting for Jongho to take his turn. When he didn’t, you turned around expectantly, breaking out into a small smile when you saw his dazed expression.

“Awh! I made your heart skip a beat, didn’t I? Look at you!”

You grabbed Jongho’s face and smooshed his cheeks together, making his pretty lips form a pout. You then leaned forward and kissed it, pulling away soon after and smirking proudly. With his cheeks now practically beaming, Jongho shrugged you off and leaned forward, his hand shaking as he reached for a Jenga piece.

“Shut up, no you didn’t.”

Even though he vehemently denied it, you knew Jongho’s words were just that; words. He was so utterly in love with you, practically head over heels for you, that any little action would make his heart race. His cheeks warm. But, he tried to pretend to be cool and charismatic around you and to be honest, it really wasn’t working.

Crawling around his figure on the sofa, you backhugged him tightly, holding him close as your head rested on his shoulder, breath tickling his ear. As expected, the awkward male tensed up in your grasp, much to your delight. His shakes became even worse as he reached for the wooden brick once again, letting out a deep breath to try and steady himself. Eventually, he grabbed a brick, just about to pull it out when you whispered into his ear.

“Love you, Jjong.”

And just as you hypothesised, the tower came crashing down, Jongho’s hand jerking up at your words. He turned to you in shock, his facial expression one of competitive anger.

“That’s not fair!”

You just giggled and pressed a kiss to his cheek, sitting back in your place on the sofa. It wasn’t long before you soon enveloped the indignant man once again however, pulling him down on top of you. He struggled but you held firm, the male eventually giving up and relaxing against his will on top of you.

“I don’t like you sometimes. Like I love you, but I really don’t like you sometimes.”

Scoffing, you just pressed a kiss to his cheek again and shushed him, holding him close.

“Love you too, Baby.”

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