#laurafics

Heechul:

Getting to Heechul's apartment had never been so difficult. With the snow, the traffic was chaotic and on top of that you weren't properly dressed for Seoul's harsh winter - your coat was doing a poor job in keeping you warm and when you ringed the doorbell of Heechul's home, you were shivering and shaking.

"I thought you weren't coming anymore." Heechul muttered as he opened the door for you.

"Don't you even get me started, traffic was a concrete and motorized jungle because of the snow." you complained, taking off your shoes as you got in.

"Oh, but it's looking pretty from my window." he smirked and you glared at him as you took off your coat.

Heechul laughed and kissed your cheek, taking you into his arms.

"I know, it's freezing outside, it's freezing everywhere. Do you want some warm tea? We can just drink it and watch a movie under the blankets." he took you to the living room, playing with your hands.

"Sounds awesome, actually." you rubbed your arms to warm them as Heechul went to the kitchen to put the water to boil. "Can I borrow one of your sweaters? Mine isn't doing what it's supposed to do..."

Heechul chuckled and nodded so you walked straight into his bedroom to fetch one of his sweaters for you. He didn't need to know you weren't planning on giving it back. When you went back to the living room, Heechul's voice reached you.

"You know, you could stay for dinner too. We could order something, maybe open a couple bottles of soju." he gave you a smile. That smile and you rolled your eyes.

"And I could stay over, and tomorrow you could skip work and we could eat breakfast in bed and never get up." you completed and he hummed, satisfied.

"It's amazing how well you can always guess my deep dark desires."

"You have been saying this exact same sentence for a whole month every time I come over." you laughed.

"Me? I have not!" he walked to you with that mischievous smile of his. "I just think why would you leave if you have a perfect bed for you to sleep in here?"

Heechul placed his hands on your waist and softly kissed you, making your whole body feel warm.

"Maybe if you get us some blankets and let me pick a movie to watch, I'll stay this time." he pouted.

"You're not going to pick Frozen 2 are you?"

"No, movies with snow are banned."

"Then I'll get the blanket from Frozen." he let go of you, running into his room before you could complain. "It's either the movie or the blanket, your choice!"

"Fine!"

Yesung:

"Why can't we never agree on a movie to watch?" you asked, sitting on the couch

"It's because all of them are always great. If I could stay over, we could watch all of our picks." Yesung said as he set up the movie.

"Well, I don't plan on letting you face the freezer that is outside, so yes, you can stay over."

Yesung smiled shyly and sat down beside you, wrapping your shoulders with his arms and kissing your temple.

"If you're hungry we could order something."

"I think you read my mind." you cuddled closer to him, wrapping his waist with your arms and he smiled.

As the movie went on and you relaxed into Yesung's embrace, the coldness of the day started creeping on you again. You tried to shrug it off, hugging him tighter. You didn't want to bother him with complaints, not when he was so comfortable on you, but he noticed before you could say anything.

"Y/N, you're shivering. Is it too cold here for you?"

"No, it's fine" you snuggled up to him, being hit by his sweet perfume scent.

"I know you're not used to this weather, why would you lie about it?" he rubbed your arms, sending goosebumps all over you.

"I'm not lying, I'm fine."

Yesung stared at you with a piercing look and took his arms from you, slightly annoyed.

"What are you doing?" you complained, crossing your arms. He didn't answer.

Instead he got up and went into your bedroom. You could hear him rummaging through your wardrobe, but didn't dare to ask again what was he doing. He came back with a blanket from your bed and a sweater he found on your things.

"Put it on." he commanded and you simply abided, taking the sweater from his hands. He looked so moody as you were putting on the sweater you felt bad for lying.

While you were dressing yourself up, he took a few pillows from the sofa and placed them side by side on its corner, unfolding the blanket and lying down, looking at you expectantly. You stared at him, slightly puzzled.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I lied. I didn't want to burden you with complaints..."

"Well, if you allow me to take care of you without thinking you're burdening me, our movie night could be a lot more interesting." he gestured to the pillow beside his, asking you to lay with him. Watching Yesung in sweatpants and that black sweater made you feel warm inside.

"I love you." you murmured, covering your mouth as soon as the words slipped out without your consent.

Yesung was a little taken aback, neither of you had ever said it before, but he smiled as you took your place by his side, still covering your embarrassment with your hands.

"I love you too." he replied, pushing your hands away and planting a sweet kiss on your lips.

You laid into his embrace, still a bit shy, and cuddled comfortably under the blanket. Your eyes felt heavy as the movie continued and you fell asleep, only to wake up the next morning with him softly snoring in your arms.

Kangin:

You rolled on the bed when you heard Kangin opening the front door.

"Yeoboya!" he called and you let out a groan, covering your head with the duvet. "Where are you? You're not- are you ok?" you heard his voice ask much closer to you now.

"As a matter of fact, I am not." you grunted, pushing the duvet away from your face.

"What's gotten to you?" he approached, laying a hand on your forehead. "Y/N, you got a fever, is it the flu?"

"Maybe. Maybe it's just a cold. Or it could be pneumonia." you sniffled, closing your eyes.

"How the hell did you manage to get this sick in two days? I work for two days and you're in bed rest?"

"I don't know, Kangin-ah! It's the winter, you know I'm not used to this cold weather..."

"It's my fault for walking you back home instead of driving you safely."

"It's not your fault, yeoboya... I just need to get used to it, and to be warm right now." you shivered under the covers.

Kangin sighed, taking a strand of hair from your face, tightening the duvet around your body.

"Let me take care of you, ok?" you nodded with a sigh and Kangin left your room.

You tried to nap while he was away, but the sound of him doing whatever he was doing on your kitchen kept you awake and alert. After a while you smelled something savory coming from the kitchen and it didn't take much longer for Kangin to show up at your door again, holding a tray with what seemed like a really hot plate on it.

"What's this?" your voice sounded lower than you intended, causing his forehead to frown.

"Soup. To make you feel better and warmer. Also brought some meds you should take and water so you'll stay hydrated."

That made tears of joy well up on your eyes.

"You are so lovable, so kind. I love you for taking care of me."

"Well, I take care of you because I love you, Y/N. I'll help you out, come here." he said, placing the tray on your nightstand and helping you sit down - his touch was soft and firm, keeping your body steady as you felt dizzy.

Kangin sat down beside you, gently feeding you spoons of soup and insisting that you'd take your medicines. After taking those dishes back to the kitchen, he came back to lay at your side, pulling you to his arms.

"You should rest, Y/N. Don't worry, I'll be here when you wake up."

"You know, you'll be a great dad someday." you muttered, feeling your eyes closing against your will.

"I'll need to be a great husband before that." he chuckled, planting a soft kiss on your cheek.

"You just need to ask it." you suddenly dropped it, feeling not as much embarrassment as you would feel if you were on your perfect senses.

"I hope you don't remember this in the morning. Otherwise you're just straight up ruining my surprise..." he whispered making you smile on his warm hug before drifting off.

Shindong:

"I really need to get used to these late recordings..." you muttered to yourself as you paced around, waiting for your boyfriend to come out of work and take him home.

"Well, this is a nice surprise." Shindong commented when he found you behind the cameras. "When did you get here?"

"A while ago." you said, letting him hug you warmly.

"Are you waiting for too long? I'm sorry, I didn't think the recording would extend so much."

"No, it's ok, I'll wait. Don't be in a hurry, ok? You're looking great up there and doing an amazing job." Shindong smiled sheepishly at you and nodded.

He went back after you kissed him good luck and the recording restarted. Lots of takes later, you were shivering as they finally finished and your boyfriend came to meet you.

"How did it go? Did you enjoy watching it?" he asked.

"I did, I always do." you said, hugging yourself to keep your body warm.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes, of course. It's just that the temperature has been dropping too fast and I'm not exactly used to it..."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I should-"

"Shindong-ssi!" someone called him, interrupting you both and, although he seemed annoyed, he answered and went to find out why was he needed now.

You could hear from the distance as he seemed to scold someone and suddenly change his tone into a really kind and calm one, smiling to yourself.

"You look so important, so bossy and leader-ish."

"Oh do I?" he chuckled, taking off his coat and wrapping you in it. It sent a wave of warmth all over your body, but you weren't sure about using it.

"Won't you get cold?" you asked.

"I'm definitely not worried about that, I'm used to this winter, but you? You'll get sick or something, so I might as well help to keep you warm." he answered wrapping you in a quick hug and then holding your hand.

"You're ready to go?"

"I'm ready since I arrived." he joked. "What about we stop for food? Dine outside for a change?"

"That doesn't sound bad..." you smiled, taking him by the hand towards the parking lot. Not only his coat warming your body, but his bright mood warmed you inside, making your whole day get better just by holding his hand.

Eunhyuk:

You and Eunhyuk have been texting each other all day long, anxious to meet each other. It was your anniversary and the evening couldn't come soon enough. You planned a nice home cooked dinner and before it was ready, he arrived, excitedly running to you in the kitchen lifting you off the floor directly into his arms.

"Oh, hi there." you greeted him and he kissed you passionately.

"Hi. I missed and I love you."

"I missed and I love you too, baby." you cupped his cheeks and kissed him again. "Happy anniversary to us."

"Happy anniversary to us." he said, letting go of you an quickly running back to the front door. He returned with a flower bouquet and a wide smile when he saw your expression.

Lots of kisses and cuddles later, dinner was ready and you sat down to enjoy it together, phones turned off so your night would be only yours.

"What do you want to do for the rest of the night?" Eunhyuk asked while taking the dishes to the sink and you smirked, making his cheeks turn red. "What's that devilish smile for? Aish, and you say I have a dirty mind."

"You're mistaking me, sir, I didn't say a thing. You're the one with the thoughts." he chuckled and sat back down in in front of you, reaching for your hand over the table. "Let me do the dishes and then we can decided on what we'll do."

"I should do the dishes since you cooked, baby, let me do it." he said, getting up from his seat, but you reached the sink faster.

"I'll do it quicker than you could ever do." you joked. "The sooner I finish, the sooner we can spend time together."

Eunhyuk pouted, unsatisfied, but you were already washing the dishes before he could stop you. As you made yourself busy, he picked his phone to check his messages, but all of your complaints and annoyed exclamations distracted him from his focus.

"Everything alright there?" he asked, looking at you over his shoulders.

"Everything is fine." you answered harshly and sighed. "It's just that because of the cold, the water is freezing and my hands hurt."

"Let me do it then, warm up your hands!" he got up from his seat, taking off his blazer and folding his sleeves. "I don't want you to hurt yourself doing housework, or anything else for that matter. Let me do it for you."

"You are the sweetest, Hyuk, but the water is really cold, it's gonna hurt you too."

"It's not a big deal, Y/N, you're simply not used to this type of cold winters like I am." he said right before opening the water and sinking his hands in it. He let out a gasp of shock and pain, making you laugh.

"I told you it was cold!" you said as he closed the tap.

"Ok, you were right, this is frozen. Gosh, I think my fingers will fall off!"

"You are such a baby, I was in there much longer than you."

"And that is precisely why you're shaking." he pointed out as you tried to stop shivering. "What do you say we leave the dishes for later, for tomorrow morning, and go warm ourselves on the couch." he said, hugging you.

"We should take a warm bath and get into comfy clothes." Eunhyuk let out a giggle.

"A bath sounds like a good idea..."

"You have such a dirty mind."

"I didn't say a thing!" he protested, making you chuckle and you tip toed to kiss his lips, letting his embrace warm you up.

Siwon:

"We should've called a cab. Or an Uber. Or taken the bus! Anything sounds better than this now." you complained to Siwon as you walked arm-in-arm down the street.

"I thought it would be nice to go for a walk after dinner." he glanced at you. "You said yourself it has been a while since we had a date like this, going to dinner, walking, talking, you know, like real couples do?"

"I know I said that. And we are a real couple. And I do enjoy these dates. It's just that's a terrible idea to do it in winter."

"Well, it's not snowing so it's doable."

"Say for yourself, I'm freezing here."

Siwon fell silent for a few moments, taking your hands in his. You didn't mean to sound so moody but the cold wasn't really your thing.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to complain about your idea." you said, laying your head on his shoulder as you crossed the street to a side with restaurants and bars.

"It's ok, I know you're not on your habitat. But we can still enjoy." he shined his dimpled smile to you, which improved your mood in 200%.

You kept wandering for a while, Siwon showing different sights he found interesting, but in the middle of the night, not much of it were open to visitors - like the small bookstores and art galleries.

"Honey, I think I've hit my limit here." you commented as you entered a side street. "I'm really, really cold, Siwon-ah..."

"It's a good thing we arrived, then." he smiled at you, stopping by the door of a warmly decorated place.

Its doors were closed but you could see people inside under the yellow lights, sipping smoking hot drinks.

"What is this place, a cafe?" you asked, trying not to smile too obviously.

"Yeah, something like that. When you were freezing I thought I'd surprise you with a warm drink in a warm place before we head home." he said with a smile and held your hand.

"I'm sorry I ever complained about your ideas, you are the best ever, I swear!" you giggled, getting on your tip toes to plant a kiss on his cheek and he chuckled.

"Let's just get inside and drink something warm. Then we can call a cab and I'll take you for a walk in summer."

"You see, that's one of the many many reasons why I love you."

Zhoumi:

"Honey, I don't want to go out today..." you muttered on the phone.

"Why? Aren't you feeling well?" Zhoumi asked, suddenly worried.

"No, it's not that. It's too cold outside and my winter clothes can't handle this weather, I'll freeze to death!" on the other side of the line, Zhoumi chuckled to himself.

"What about I come over and we get to solve that?" he suggested, making you laugh shortly.

"I don't know what you have in mind, but it doesn't sound so bad..." you answered.

"I'll be there in no time." and he hung up.

You waited for Zhoumi to come, curling up on the sofa with a book you couldn't quite concentrate enough to read. Only when you heard the doorbell ring your mind cleared up and you jumped from your spot on the couch to open the door.

"It took you long enough-" you started saying when you opened the door but was interrupted by Zhoumi's arms engulfing you in a giant hug. "Oh, that's a real greeting."

"I was looking forward to see you, it's been a few days since last time." he answered, breaking the hug.

"I'll blame our unmatching schedules."

"It's ok, it's their fault anyway." you chuckled, inviting him in, but he only put his hands into his pockets. "No, honey, I'm not going in, we're both going out."

"Out? Zhoumi-ah, I said I didn't want to..."

"I know, that's why I brought you one of my winter jackets to keep you warm as we go. I have a surprise for you."

"Surprise?"

"Yes." you giggled, taking the jacket he was handing and putting on your shoes. "Let's go."

You and Zhoumi drove around the streets for some long minutes under a light rain until you arrived a well-known shopping mall on the neighborhood and you stared at him in total confusion as he parked the car.

"What are we going to do here?"

"I thought I'd give you a present, so you'll have no more excuses to go on winter dates with me. We'll go shopping." he chuckled, getting out of the car and you followed, excited about his plans.

He took a hold of your hand, wandering around clothing stores and inviting you to enter a lot of them. Although you were excited you didn't want to abuse of his good will and money.

"Honey, isn't this too much?" you asked, holding about five pieces of clothes on your arms on your way to the cashier.

"It isn't." he said, kissing your forehead. "I hate seeing you shiver every day and it's a pleasure to do this for you."

"You are too kind, you know?"

"I do." he smiled, passing his card to the attendant checking your clothes. "Also I'm running out of sweaters since you've been stealing all of them."

"Sorry about that." you laughed, hiding your face on his chest. "But that won't stop just because you're buying me new ones, your sweaters are special, they smell like you. And they're warm like you." Zhoumi laughed, running his hand through your hair.

"I guess as long as you're taken care of, I don't mind losing a sweater or two..."

Donghae:

"Ok, maybe this wasn't the best idea." you said to yourself, buttoning up your coat and adjusting your beanie.

A few minutes ago you decided it was a good idea to walk back home, but it didn't take long before it turned into a terrible idea. Even though the landscape was insanely beautiful, walking the bridge was extremely colder than any other means of transportation - the Han river running below you and the icy wind would definitely freeze you if you stopped walking.

"I just need to keep moving, if I move, the heat will spread." you muttered, shoving your hands into your pockets, not really believing there was any heat to spread.

As you reached the end of the bridge, the sun was already gone and, without it, you felt even colder. You decided to stop for a few seconds and you would've if you hadn't been bumped into by a remarkably cute stranger.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry! Are you okay? Did I hurt you?" he shot you with questions, his expression filled with worry but you kept staring at his eyes. He had beautiful eyes.

"Y-yes, I'm ok. You didn't hurt me. Are you ok?" you asked, trying not to get distracted by his eyes, but as soon as he heard you were ok, he smiled and you could swear his smile would be enough to light up an entire city.

"Yes, I am. Sorry for running into you, I wasn't paying much attention." he lightly bowed, taking you out of the trance.

"No, it's ok, it's totally fine." you giggled, covering your mouth with your hands. "Can I ask why were you in such a rush?"

"Well, I... I was just trying to head home. I enjoy walking the bridge, but it's really cold today." he said, running his hand through his hair. He was really handsome. "I could ask you the same thing."

"I could answer the same thing. Just trying to get home."

"What a weird coincidence." he smiled again, making you blush softly.

You looked around to avoid his gaze on you and found out it was snowing. You were amazed, sighing out of excitement to the white flakes falling slowly.

"This is so beautiful. I've never seen snow in person before." you said in a low tone forgetting about the stranger for a minute.

"You never saw snow?" he asked innocently, startling you.

"No, I never did. I'm not from here. Actually that's one of the things I was mostly excited about when I moved here, but I gotta say it's way colder than what I anticipated."

"Still, it's pretty." you caught him looking at you and then to the snowflakes. "It's the first snow of the season, it's really special."

"Well, nice to meet you, first snow." you said with a smile and he looked at you with those sparkly eyes.

"I bet the snow thinks it's nice to meet you too, miss..."

"Y/N. You can call me Y/N." you tried not to giggle but the way he smiled shyly made it almost impossible.

"I think it's nice to meet you too, Y/N. I'm Donghae." he extended his hand and you shook it. "Wow, your hands are really cold."

"Yes, they are." you laughed. "I'm sorry, I'm not quite adapted to the cold here yet."

"Well, could I buy you some hot cocoa to help with that?" he smiled, playing with his gloves.

"It actually sounds great."

Kibum:

It was a lazy winter afternoon when Kibum convinced you to go out for food - he found a nice place not far from where you lived and was keen to visit it. It wasn't like him to go out much, so you agreed mainly because he was excited about it.

"You're ready?" he asked when he came to pick you up. The sun was setting and the temperature dropping.

"I am. Although I feel like I'm forgetting something..."

"Got your phone? Keys?" you nodded to him, looking around at your stuff. "Wallet, cash?" your eyes darted at him, laughing. "It's a joke, I'm treating tonight."

"That's very sweet of you, Kibum-ah. But, yes, I'm bringing my wallet." you laughed. "I guess it's just a feeling, everything seems to be here with me."

"Then we're good to go?"

"We are."

He took you by the hand and soon you were both on the street, heading to the diner he found. Because it wasn't far, you decided to go walking, but you soon regreted it. The cold winter breeze was hitting you hard.

"Now I know what I forgot."

"What was it?"

"My gloves." you answered, sighing heavily and he chuckled. "How far is it?" you asked, rubbing your hands together in hopes to get some warmth from them.

"Just a few more minutes by foot." Kibum glanced at you. "We'll get to somewhere warm soon, don't worry." he smiled, wrapping your shoulders with his arm.

You kept walking, not exactly in a hurry to get anywhere. Although it was getting colder by the minute, the view was really beautiful, with the sun setting and people going here and there to start the night life. From time to time, Kibum would catch you rubbing your hands together or blowing them to warm up. Suddenly he stopped walking, taking a deep breath, feeling weirdly nervous, and took off one of his gloves, handing it to you.

"Here, put it on."

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but why just one?" you laughed and he took your other hand, interwining your fingers and shoving them both into his coat pocket.

"Because this way I can do this." he replied, making you blush.

Kibum leaned in and kissed your cheek, feeling a bit shy himself - you had been going out for a while now, but these affection displays would still make you both giddy. You leaned onto his shoulder to hide your red cheeks and giggled.

"Well, I can't say it didn't work..." you chuckled.

"Come on." he started walking again. "We're almost there now."

Kyuhyun:

"What are you doing there?" you asked loudly to Kyuhyun in the other room.

"Why you wanna know?" he yelled back and you shuffled on your seat in front of the TV.

"I'm hungry! And cold! And you spent too many time on that game today..." you whispered that last part, thinking he couldn't hear.

"I'll take a guess and say you think I don't love you anymore because I've been playing too long." he leaned onto the living room's door, crossing his arms. "I'm sorry, baby, but The Seven Knights have been seducing me for too long and I couldn't resist."

"Why are you like this, why are you so mean?" Kyuhyun gave a mischievous smile to your glare. "I'm hungry and freezing over here and you're trading me for a game."

"Why are you freezing anyway? It's not even that cold today."

"How dare you say that? I'd throw a pillow at you if I wasn't this comfy in here." you complained, clutching the blanket over your shoulders and Kyuhyun approached you, extending his hand.

"Come here." you took his hand and got pulled out of your spot.

"Oh God, it's even colder out of the blanket, why are you dragging me?"

He didn't answer though, he simply pulled you behind him to his bedroom and sat you on the bed. You watched while he rummaged through his wardrobe without saying a word.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking care of you, of course." he answered pulling a whole pile of clothes and placing them beside you. "Even though it's not even that cold."

You stared at him giving you one of his sweaters and putting a beanie on you. You smiled at him when he handed you one of his socks and cupped his face.

"Gosh, your hands are frozen. Do you think you can build a castle of ice like Elsa?" he said, taking your hands between his and blowing them warm.

"I love that you can be really sweet even when you're bullying me." you commented, taking his sweater and wearing it. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"Well, I love you, don't I? I probably wouldn't do this for The Seven Knights." you giggled and he kissed your cheek. "You said you were hungry, how about I cook dinner for us?"

"Sounds amazing as long as I can persuade you to go cuddle with me on the sofa after it."

"Deal."

Henry:

"Baby, are you coming over tonight?" you asked Henry on the phone.

"Maybe, if you ask nicely."

"That's not what I- look, I'm just asking because, if you're not, I'm gonna head to bed early. It's too cold over here and I'm tired and annoyed by the weather, so I'll sleep."

"How come you're feeling cold when you're so hot, baby? That doesn't seem right." he said after a moment of silence and you sighed.

"Henry, I'm not in the mood. Are you coming?"

"Yes, ma'am. Chill, baby, I'll warm you up." you could hear him giggling on the other side of the line.

"Oh for God's- Look, you have the key, just let yourself in." you said and then hung up.

You've had a week of hell and wasn't exactly in the mood for his jokes. As you had the rest of the afternoon off, you decided to catch up with some of your favorite dramas on TV - wrapped yourself in a warm blanket and laid down on the couch. You would've stayed that way for the entire night if the sound of Henry coming in hadn't startled you.

"Hey, gorgeous!" he yelled from the door.

"Hi." you said back, barely moving from your spot.

"I brought you something!" you could hear him walking towards you. "Ya, would you care to look over here, I came to your rescue."

You turned over, finally getting to see him standing in your living room, holding a few plastic bags and with that cocky smirk of his.

"What is all that?" you bothered to sit down, less irritated and more curious.

"I told you to chill, but I decided to help you out, since you can't seem to do it for yourself."

"Thanks?"

"I brought tteokbokki. And soju. And hot cocoa." he showed you the bags in his hands. "What do you fancy? I'd choose hot cocoa because I don't know if we should warm it up again once it goes cold."

You stared at him, slightly in awe - he could be really teasing to you, but he cared so much he actually stopped at all those places to get you things to help you endure the cold season.

"Are you okay, Y/N? You're blankly staring at me for a few seconds, I'm starting to worry you might be having a stroke."

You finally managed to laugh to him and got up from the couch to go greet him with a kiss.

"Thanks for doing this for me, it kinda means a lot."

"Well, I knew you needed to chill."

"Oh, God, can you stop with this pun?" you softly hit his chest, getting a giggle from him.

"Not until you laugh at it." you rolled your eyes, embracing his neck.

"I'm all chilled out already, Henry." he laughed, satisfied. "Come on, let's warm ourselves with some hot cocoa on the couch. I've been watching TV all day and would love if you joined me."

"Don't tell me you've watched our series without me." his eyes widened at your expression. "Y/N!"

"I'm sorry! I was missing you and was really curious about the ending..."

"You finished it?!" you laughed, dragging him by the hand.

"I'll watch it all over with you if you want me to."

Time took so long to pass, you were already hyperventilating with anxiety. Preparing surprises made you so nervous - what if he hated it? Well, he wouldn't be thrilled to see people crowding his apartment but he enjoyed spending his birthdays with you and usually liked whatever crazy stuff you'd plan for him.

"We picked him up for coffee and we're heading home now. Is everything ready?"

You stared at InYoung's text on your phone; your heart raced but you giggled with excitement.

"Yes, unnie, everything ready. I hope he likes it. Drive safely, we'll be waiting!"

Leeteuk's sister replied with a smiling emoji and a "Fighting!" that made you less nervous - she had always been really fond of you, so knowing she was cheering you on kept you calm.

You warned the boys he was coming and went around cleaning crumbs and checking the blue and white decorations. It was looking cute, he would love that.

As soon as you heard the clicking sounds of the password being typed on the door, you turned off the lights and went hiding in the living room, shushing the very excited Sujus around you - but just like them you had to try really hard to stop giggling.

Shimkoong came in first, prancing into the living room and turning her little head to the people trying to hide in the most ridiculous places - as soon as she saw you, she barked running to a very desperate you, trying to shush her.

"Koongie-ya, what you doing?" you heard Teuk's baby voice calling for his puppy - just hearing him near made you giddy.

"She's probably just playing." his sister answered. You imagined they were still at the door, taking off coats and shoes when the lights went on. As soon as Teuk appeared on the hall, all of you welcomed him yelling "Surprise!"

Leeteuk covered his mouth in awe as his sister and mom passed by him, joining you. You were nervous, you couldn't tell if he liked it or not until he laughed. The boys were making a fuss, laughing and hugging their hyung, congratulating him, making Koongie bark on your lap.

You approached him slowly, keeping a shy smile on your face, still holding Koongie to your chest as if she was a child and the boys made way to you.

"You made this?" Teuk asked, his eyes going wide as you muttered a yes.

"Did you like it?" you asked nervously and he laughed, wrapping you in a warm hug and placing a kiss on your cheek. "I'll take that as a yes." you laughed, breaking the hug.

"You're always outdoing yourself for me, this is really sweet. Although I was really looking forward to get some time for both of us." he whispered on your ear, giggling.

"Well, there's a few more people than I intended at first, but you hadn't seen your members in a while so I though it was a nice idea... "

"It was, jagi." he said, caressing your cheek. "Thank you so much for this. I loved it just because it was your idea."

"I had help." you smiled, nodding to his sister and mom who were happily catching up with the other boys.

Leeteuk blushed softly, kissing your forehead and taking your hand in his. Koongie barked at him, begging for her dad to take her in his arms.

"Come on, let's enjoy the party."

It was a really happy night - a lot of laughing, some scolding, a lot of good food and a few bottles of soju being opened, the boys randomly singing and playing skits, throwing toys for Koongie to catch. You talked a lot to Teuk's sister about whether he was enjoying or not.

"He seems a little tired, but I'm sure he's liking it." she assured you.

"He gets really happy whenever you do these things for him." his mom added, holding your hand dearly "Don't worry, you're doing really well."

Her look on you was really tender, made you relax and feel more comfortable during the night.

Soon enough you brought the cake out, lighting the candles and singing happy birthday to Leeteuk.

"You should make a wish before blowing the candles!" Donghae warned, taking endless pictures of the moment. Leeteuk closed his eyes and thought for a few seconds before blowing the candles.

"What did you wish for?" Eunhyuk asked, only to get scolded by Shindong.

"He can't say it, you idiot! Otherwise it won't come true!"

Teuk laughed, his glance at you lingering for a little longer than it used to. It had already been a year you were together but you would still get butterflies every time he stared at you like that.

After that, it didn't take too long for people to start leaving - it was week night, they had to work the next day so they stayed as late as they could. You started making yourself busy with the cleaning when InYoung and her mom told you they were leaving.

"Already?" they nodded at you. Teuk was getting them their coats as you spoke. "Oh, ok, let me walk you to the door." you said, putting the dishes on the sink.

At the door, you greeted them one last time, with Leeteuk by your side.

"It was a great night." his mom said, putting on her shoes.

"Thank you both for coming and helping me plan this, meant a lot." you said, respectfully bowing to them.

"It was nothing." InYoung answered, giving you a quick hug. "It made my brother really happy so I was happy to help."

"Thanks for that, noona." Teuk smiled and hugged her and his mom. Before he could say anything, his mom turned to you.

"We should be thanking you for taking such good care of our boy. He looks really happy when he's with you and only praises you when he talks about you." she smiled softly, taking your hands in hers. "Thank you for that, for making my son smile more often. You're going to be a great wife someday."

"O-oh, thank you ma'am. It means a lot to me, thank you!" you stuttered, suddenly feeling your cheeks warm and your heart stumping. At your side, Leeteuk was blushing really hard.

His mom and sister laughed softly at your reaction, opening the door to leave.

"Just- just drive safely and let me know when you get home." Teuk stumbled upon his words, making them laugh again.

When he closed the door, you couldn't meet his eyes. Of course the marriage talk had already been going on for a while, it was in the plans for someday in the future, but still made you flustered. Having him as your husband? Just thinking of it made you want to laugh out of expectation and excitement.

"So..." he started "Let's get to clean the mess, shall we?"

You sighed in relief.

"It's your birthday, let me do it. I already learned your ways, I can do it." he stared at you with sparkling eyes and smiled.

"You know I won't be able to stand still seeing you do everything. Let's just do it together."

"Nope, let me do it for you." you insisted, kissing his cheek. "Just go and relax, spend time with Koongie."

He knew he couldn't defeat you, you were as stubborn as he, so he just gave in this time, sitting on the couch with Koongie, watching you wander around picking up dishes, washing them, vacuuming the rugs and small dirts on the floor. In the end, everything was spotless in a way he thought only he could do.

"How did you manage to do all that? And faster than I would?" he said when you flopped on the sofa beside him.

"Well, I know how you like things, I just found quicker ways to do it. And I know that as soon as I leave you're going to check if everything is clean and do the spots I might've forgotten."

"I don't do that!"

"Oh yeah?" you challenged, staring deep into his eyes.

"Ok, maybe..." he said, making you laugh. "It's not that I don't appreciate you doing it, it's just that I-"

"Jagi, I know." you interrupted, taking his hand. "It's okay, I don't mind."

His look fell on yours, making a soft smile grow on his lips. He leaned in, cuping your cheek in his hand.

"What have I ever done to deserve you?"

"What do you mean, I did nothing much." you smiled.

"It seems like that to you, but it means a lot to me." he said, taking a strand of hair from your face and kissing you softly.

You stared at his deep dark eyes and kissed the tip of his nose. He was older than you, but sometimes he looked like a teenager in love, making you blush as if you were one too.

"I should get going." you whispered. "It's getting late."

"Can't you stay a little longer?" he said kissing you again - deeper and longer.

"You know I can't..." you whispered against his lips, searching for air. "It's our deal, remember? We don't stay over."

"Sometimes I hate that, you know?" you giggled.

"I know, but it's for a good reason, it's important to me." he forced a irritated sigh, but when you looked at him he was smiling. "And I love you for respecting and caring about that."

"I know." his hands found yours, taking it to his chest. "But I want you here. I've been thinking about this for a while now, I love you and I want you here when I come home from work and beside me when I wake up. Or in my couch reading a book, or washing the dishes, or playing with Koongie, I just want you by my side. Permanently."

"That's really sweet, Teukie-ah..." your heart was stumping on your chest. "But we've already talked about moving in-"

"I'm not talking about moving in, jagi." he stared firmly at you - your hand was still on his chest and you could feel his heartbeat increasing along with yours. "I want you to be my wife. To be with me for better or for worse, in sickness and in health till death do us apart because I love you and there's no one else I would want to be for the rest of my life. When I saw you today planning the party it seemed so right that you would be in charge of that. When I got in and saw you with Koongie on your lap, it seemed like everything was falling into place. I belong with you. You're my home and I want to come back to you as long as I'm alive."

Your eyes were filled with tears he quickly wiped off, smiling beautifully at you. You too wanted to stare at his eyes and wake up beside him and come back home to him forever.

"You're my home too..." you whispered and he kissed your hand.

"Would you give me this birthday present? Will you marry me?"

"Of course I would, of course I will!" you jumped into his embrace, kissing his shoulder and neck, laughing out loud getting tightly squeezed to his chest by his arms. "I love you, I love you so much."

"I love you too, jagi." he broke the hug only to kiss you again, so in love you felt like it was your first kiss all over again - he finished the kiss with several pecks on your face, giggling. "This was my birthday wish. I can say now, it's come true."

"You wished I'd say yes?"

"I wished you'd be with me forever."

"Well, I can say I wished that too."

"It's not even your birthday!"

"It's my boyfr- my fiance's birthday, I can make a wish he would be happy and healthy and with me forever, can't I?" he stared at you lovingly.

"You said fiance." he blushed and you did too.

"I did."

"I love you."

"I love you too, my angel. Happy birthday."

_______________

"Hi- hello? Hello? Can you hear me?" he asked through the phone, barely being heard due to the crappy signal.

"Hey! I can hear you! Kinda." he chuckled.

"I wanted to talk to you, can we meet?"

"You wanted to walk with me? Teukie-ah, I can barely listen!"

"Talk! I wanted to talk!" he stressed every word. "Can we meet?"

"Oh, sure! Where?"

"The bookstore." you sensed his tone.

"Is everything alright?"

"Evening? Why would we go there in the evening?"

"That's not what I- forget it. The bookstore then. When?"

"Are you free now?"

"If you're asking if I'm free right now, yes, I am!" the static on the line was driving you crazy. "I'll meet you there!"

"Ok, fine! See you in a few!"

"See you!"

He arrived a few minutes after you, smiling brightly as soon as his eyes met yours.

"Did I take too long?" he asked, leaning in for a hug.

"No, I just got here." you answered, letting his arms pull you to his chest. You could feel his heartbeat and instinctively squeezed him tightly, lingering for a bit longer than usual - he didn't seem to respond though. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. It's ok, I'm ok." he let go of you. "Can we go find a seat?"

"Sure. What's so serious you wanted to talk to me?"

He didn't answer - Leeteuk's eyes drifted away from yours, gazing at the empty space between you and he sighed. Something inside you started feeling really anxious so you tried to lighten up the mood.

"Won't Teukie tell me?" you said with a smile , putting on your best cute act on display, but he barely smiled. You sighed, tired, letting your shoulders drop and started walking. "Come on, we can go sit over there."

Leeteuk followed you with his gaze before following with his feet. Soon he was by your side again, avoiding your eyes at all costs, though he still sat in front of you, tapping his fingers nervously on the table.

"So, are you rehearsing for a drum solo again?" you tried to joke, to which he responded with an absent minded smile. Whatever it was, it was making him extremely nervous.

"Leeteuk-ah, if you have something to say, just go ahead, you're making me nervous. And, honestly, I don't have much more energy to play your game."

His eyes darted to you suddenly, looking a bit scared. "Game?"

"Yes, game. Honestly it has been driving me crazy for a long time now."

"Y/N-ah, what are you talking about?" he frowned and you sighed.

"It's nothing, if you don't realize it then it's not important, forget it."

His eyes pierced through your soul, his fingers brushing on yours over the table. "Y/N-ah, you don't have to hide from me, you can trust me to tell me anything."

Your heart beat faster, resisting fiercely to the butterflies in your stomach.

"You're really annoying, you know that?" he gave you a smirk.

"So I have been told."

"You're also really blind."

"That's- ok..."

"Forget it. Why did you call me right here today of all days?" you asked, leaning against your chair's back rest.

"What about today?" he smiled slyly.

"If you know why are you asking, Leeteuk-ah? God, you're so annoying." he chuckled.

"I wanted to see you today." you took a deep breath.

You met him exactly one year ago. Just thinking about it made you giddy; the way he was looking at you right now made you antsy. One year already, he never said anything - he took you for walks, he called late at night saying he missed you, facetimed you while working overseas, bought you endless meals, coffees and sweets for no special reasons. And he still didn't say anything.

But on the other hand, neither did you. So you decided it was time for you to say something at least, maybe put an end to it.

"You can't keep doing this, ok?"

"Doing what?"

"This. Treating me like a princess or your girlfriend or I don't know what else, doing this when I'm not it." you dropped.

"Wait, what?"

"I appreciate it, I seriously do. It's adorable and romantic and makes me feel- I appreciate it. But it's like you're dropping crumbs waiting for me to pick, it's not healthy for neither of us. I feel like I'm fooling myself here."

"Y/N, I don't have the slightest idea of what you're talking about." he furrowed his brows and you simply stared at him. It took a few seconds of absolute annoyance from you for him to catch up. "Are you- are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong?"

"It's not that you did something, it's more of what you haven't done. I feel like I'm wasting my time, Leeteuk-ah..."

Leeteuk watched you, his heart beating so strongly he felt it on the tips of his fingers. He finally understood what you meant and never had he felt so guilty about being so unclear about his feelings.

"Y/N I'm so sorry, I never meant to make you- it's just that I don't know what or how to say, you just..."

"I just? What?" your hands trembled and you sat on the edge of your seat, anxious to your core.

"It's too hard, I-" he mumbled but you barely heard it.

"What? Did you say I'm too harsh?"

"God, what?! No! I'm just-"

You watched him fumble with his words and thought that, maybe this time, he would notice you. Instead, he sighed and brought his hands back to his lap.

"Do you want to order coffee?" he asked and you bit your lip, containing much frustration.

"Sure."

Coffee arrived and left and you were still sat down staring blankly and in silence till you couldn't stand that any longer. One more second and you would start crying or yelling at him without even being able to conceive your own feelings.

"I should go, it's getting late." you murmured, making his eyes go wide before meeting yours.

"Already?"

"Yeah, well, I still have a few things to do today." you forced a smile. "But this was nice. Even though I get the feeling you never got to say what you wanted to over the phone..."

You held his gaze for as much as you could, but if he had anything to say, anything at all, he was hiding it with a master's skill.

"Okay then. I'll go, we can talk later." you got up from your seat, determined to bury that feeling once and for all. "Thanks for the coffee, Teukie-ah. And for bringing me here today. You're a great friend."

He avoided your eyes, grumbling something you didn't quite catch as you walked away. You kept thinking about how hard it was going to be to overcome him - his smiley eyes, his cute laugh, his morning voice when you called to check up on him or the cheerful tone he would always call you when he was leaving work. Leeteuk wasn't a man to "overcome", there was no getting over him. And that thought hit you as soon as your feet reached the sidewalk outside the bookstore, under a light rain shower.

You hadn't gone much far when a hand grabbed your wrist from behind you, turning you to face them.

"What are you doing?!" your voice sounded louder than you intended, but Leeteuk didn't let go of your arm.

"Being an idiot, that's what I'm doing. Do you know how hard you make this for me?"

"Excuse me?"

"Yes, that's what you heard." his grip on you was shaky and nervous. "I'm not a person that knows how to talk about what I feel and yet you're going around like this, staring at me like this, inquiring me with your eyes and, God! I am such an idiot, Y/N..."

"I already know that." you got rid of his hand. "And forgive me for trying to found out what the hell goes on your mind this way, but it's not like you're an open book!"

"I know that. But it's not like you make it any easier for me!"

"How the hell do I make it difficult to you, Leeteuk-ah? By trying to make you smile when you're down? By being on your side on your bad days or bringing you lunch when I could just eat by myself? Or maybe when you got sick and I took 3 days off of work to go take care of you?"

"That's exactly what I mean!"

"Excuse you?!"

"I mean that you're driving me crazy! You and your kindness and aegyo and being thoughtful of me and taking days off of work to take care of me and your beautiful eyes and- That's not how I wanted to say it, ok?" Leeteuk ran his hands through his hair, visibly frustrated. "I've been trying to find the right moment, the right words, the right place but I always screw it up and I'm sorry about it, ok? Because I can see how frustrated you feel."

"You- you can?"

"Yes, I can. Every person with functional eyes can see it. You're as transparent as glass." he chuckled, taking a step closer to you. "And you're stubborn. And sometimes you can be so narrow minded it drives me crazy."

"If this is supposed to explain anything to me or make me feel better, you're failing miserably."

"That is precisely what I meant when I said this is not how I wanted to say it. I planned a different scenario in my mind, that's why I called you here today. I practiced what I wanted to say, I... "

You stared at him, still confused but now amused by his flustered manners. His eyes wouldn't meet yours for the sake of his life and his cheeks were so flushed someone could think you slapped him. Leeteuk wasn't one to be so openly shy, but when he did, he looked the cutest.

"Teukie-ah, you don't have to be timid with me." your voice was surprisingly low, making him frown. Instinctively you reached for his face, cupping his cheek. Leeteuk sighed heavily and took your hand into his.

"I planned on coming here multiple times and telling you I liked you, but it didn't seem right. Then I figured that liking you wasn't quite the feeling I had, I definitely had stronger feelings and wanted to tell you that too. But I took too long and maybe I could be too late but I'm also less unsure and truth is, Y/N, I'm so deep in love with you I don't think there's an way out. And I honestly don't care, because it's you."

"Wait wait wait wait, hold on." you took a step back from him, slightly dizzy, feeling your blood pressure rising. "What are you saying? In love? With me? I- All the stupid aegyo I couldn't avoid making and you barely reacted, all the moments I smiled at you and you looked away... What do you mean "in love", you barely look me in the eyes when I talk!"

Leeteuk laughed nervously, covering his face with his hands. He sighed heavily with an anxious smile, building up the courage to what he would do next.

"Do you know how frustrated I am?!" you kept saying, gesturing a lot.

He suddenly grabbed you by your arms, pulling you to his chest and resting his hands on your waist. Your breathing was cut short and your heart and thoughts were such a mess you couldn't form a simple word.

"I'm sorry for all of that." he had never been so close to you. It made your legs tremble. "I know it hurt you and I know I was a complete idiot, but I didn't mean to do it, to frustrate you this much."

"Why did you..." your words died halfway through your mouth.

"I'm not sure." he chuckled, caressing the sides of your body, sending electric sparks all over you. "You make me nervous. And timid. Whenever you hug me, I feel my heart might burst. When you do aegyo? I'm experienced in controlling my expression on TV but you test all my limits with your cute acts and your smile... God, your smile drives me insane..." his embrace tightened around you, making an anxious whimper leave your lungs.

"I thought you never paid attention to me like that." you grumbled.

Leeteuk smiled, shining you his pretty dimple. His half-moon shaped eyes had an excited glimmer on them when he rested a hand on your back as the other played with your hair.

"How could I not pay attention to you? You're all I see."

Your heart nearly stopped when he leaned in to kiss you - tender and soft but electric and deep, feeling you with warmth despite how taken aback you were.

Took you a few seconds to break the kiss, gently pushing him away, trying to keep yourself from giggling and failing miserably. Leeteuk grinned, pecking your cheek and hugging you.

"This is so far from what I've planned for today." he chuckled.

"Yet it turned out perfectly. You have to learn to not make plans sometimes." you muttered, hiding your face in his chest.

"Actually it didn't turn out perfectly 'cause you didn't confess back yet." he said, letting you go.

"You're joking, right?" he smiled, but shook his head. "You're gonna make me say it? After the past year, you're really gonna make me say it."

"I wanna listen your pretty voice saying the pretty words with your pretty mouth right to my face." his hands grabbed the fabric of your shirt to keep you from escaping.

"You are so annoying." you pouted and he pecked your lips. You sighed, relieved to be able to speak your heart out. "Ok. But I'm not saying because you want me to, but because it's about time I come clean about how I feel towards you."

You clinged to his neck, pushing his hair away from his eyes - Leeteuk's gaze on you was terribly intense and you contained a sigh, unable to avoid the butterflies in your stomach.

"You too drive me crazy, being so quick to catch up with the mood in a room but completely unable to read me, calling me late in the night just to ask about my day but so oblivious when I said I missed you."

"Are you going anywhere with this??" you laughed, tilting his chin with your fingers.

"Even though you do drive me crazy, sometimes mad, you're the first thought I have when I wake up and the last before I sleep. And your smile too, God, it drives me insane." Leeteuk smiled shyly, his cheeks turning a bright shade of red. "See, you're terribly cute. I like you too much for my own good and I can't regret it, not even the tiniest bit." your fingers trailed on his cheeks, softly stopping over his dimple and lips, subtly caressing his chin. "I'm in love with you. Too deeply in love with you, for too long. And it's about time we do something about this."

Leeteuk laughed, burying his face in the crook of you neck, his breathing sending goosebumps all over your body. His arms entangled on your back, slightly dipping you for a passionate kiss that left you breathless.

"What took us so long?" he giggled.

"More importantly now, is this day one or day 365?" you both laughed, hugging each other on the sidewalk.

Some point around 4:30 you started getting nervous, staring at your clothes - what if you wore jeans and a hoodie and he took you to a fancy restaurant? Or if you wore a gala dress and he took you to the park for a walk? There was no answer.

When he knocked on your door, you were wearing jeans and a shirt but as soon as you saw him, you knew you should’ve dressed better.

“Oh, I like what you’re wearing.” he said straight away, smiling at you. He was wearing a blue blazer over his white shirt and what looked like very fancy shoes to you, holding something behind himself.

“What do you got there?” you asked, letting him in.

“It’s for you.” he blushed softly, handing you the clothing bag by the hanger. “See if it fits you, we still have time.”

You stared at him, unsure.

“What if it doesn't fit me?”

“Well, then you can just change for something you have in your wardrobe.” Donghae smiled, scratching the back of his head. “Now go change.”

“You're so full of mysteries today…” you said, softly hitting his arm. “I get anxious with surprises, so can't you just tell me?”

“No.” Donghae answered, but seemed a little taken aback with your statement. “If you trust me, I promise it's gonna be good.” you squinted at him, and turned on your heels to go change. “Or at least I hope so…” he whispered.

You pretended you didn't hear that last part, taking the clothing bag with you to your room and opened it to find a simple black dress - a knee length flowy summer dress with straps and small white daisies all over it. It was insanely cute and made you smile at Donghae’s taste for clothes fitting you so well.

After you quickly changed and made your way back to the living room, making Donghae’s smile lit up as he looked you up and down, from the dress’s straps to your sneakers.

“You look so pretty…” he mumbled, making you blush.

“Thank you… You look pretty too.” his cheeks turned red and his eyes shifted from you. He looked even cuter when he was shy.

“Let’s go?” he offered his arm to you and you took it, smiling to yourself.

Donghae guided you to his car, keeping quiet most of the time - the only other noise besides the car engine was Donghae humming a song you could almost recognize.

The sun was setting when he parked the car in an open area with a couple of two story buildings, a lot of green areas, people walking and laughing around, restaurants and colorful decorations on the light poles.

“What is this place?” you asked when he opened the door for you.

“Well, you told me you weren’t fit for really fancy dates, so I thought I’d meet you in the middle with a relatively fancy date.” he scratched the back of his head, looking away. He was so sweet it made you giddy.

Shyly, you took his arm again and let him guide you towards the buildings. He seemed anxious, holding onto you firmly, so you caressed his arm to which he responded with a smile. He took you to the elevator and in no time both of you reached the terrace.

It was a beautiful place - you could see great part of the neighborhood from there, there were a few tables disposed around the terrace, with a restaurant on the back, a lot of flowers and twinkling lights. You expected Donghae to take you to a table, but he guided you to the edge of the terrace, where you could see the sun disappear over the horizon, painting the sky purple and orange.

“Before we get to the date itself, there’s something I wanted to tell you…” he started, avoiding your gaze. Your heart stumped, but you managed to keep smiling.

“What is it? You found a new avocado smoothie recipe you want to try with me?” you joked, trying to get a laugh from him, but he only smiled nervously, biting his bottom lip. It made you much more anxious. “Donghae-ah, what is it?”

He sighed heavily, taking your hands in his with a slight tremble on his fingers.

“I should just go straight to the point, right?” he started. “I like you Y/N. A lot… After I met you that day in the cafe, I knew you wouldn’t just pass by me and I was right, because in such a short time you already became so important…” his fingers played with yours as he got closer. Your heart was pounding but, funnily enough, his perfume, his warmth so close to you, the way his eyes shined in the dim lights of the dusk, calmed you, but Donghae himself was getting nervous and stuttering “I guess- I guess what I’m trying to say is that I have feelings for you… Real feelings, strong feelings. And I want us to be together, really together…”

“Donghae-ah…” you laughed softly, hoping the yellow lights would help hide your blushing cheeks and your growing anxiety. “I like you a lot too… With real strong feelings too…” he laughed, relieved.

“Oh, thank God…” he whispered, caressing your cheek. “I was afraid of what your answer could be, but in the end, being honest really pays off.”

He inclined to you, getting close to your lips, but you took a step back, scared and nervous and Donghae frowned at you.

“Is there something wrong?”

“It’s just… You said that being honest really pays off and- it made me think I should be honest too…” you muttered.

Donghae’s eyes shifted away, in fear of what was coming towards him. You saw the anxiety behind his controlled expression and took a deep breath, a really deep breath - you didn’t want to scare him away, not when he just confessed…

“It’s only because I think I should get this off my chest before we go any further, because I really like you too… It’s just- I’ve never been with anyone.” you said slowly, letting go of his hands. “I mean, I have liked other people, I’ve been in love but… I’ve never- I’ve never dated anyone seriously or for a long period of time… I’ve never even been kissed…”

The awkward silence made you want to run back home and hide, but soon Donghae’s gentle voice broke the ice, asking innocently:

“You’ve never been kissed?” his eyes searched for yours but you couldn’t bear to hold his gaze.

“No…”

“Can I ask why?” you stared at him, feeling exposed, but decided to answer anyway - this was the guy you had been dreaming about for the past three months and he had just said how much he liked you, he deserved an explanation.

“There’s nothing much to it, Donghae-ah… I just never wanted to waste my very first kiss with any person, or someone who didn’t care truly about me, I never wanted to just be another name on someone’s list. I wanted it to be special, with someone who was truly in love with me… I know it’s cliché and it won’t be perfect, but still… I wanted it to be special.”

“I understand. It’s not common, but I understand.” he replied, taking your hand back and kissing your forehead. “There’s nothing to worry about, Y/N. Come on, let’s get to our date.”

He dragged you to the table area, under the evening sky. You had a delicious dinner on the terrace with very few people around you, the stars appearing above you and with the sound of music downstairs filling up the night, but there was an awkward atmosphere between you. At least that’s how you felt - awkward, anxious and regretting every second you took to say those words to him. And to make it worse, Donghae’s expression was unreadable.

You barely talked, he seemed lost in thought throughout dinner and didn’t even order dessert. You thought you’d ruined everything when he paid and took you by the hand once again.

"He’s just being nice, after this he won’t call again…" you thought as he guided you back to the ground floor. He was humming that song again.

When you got out of the building, it was already dark outside. The open area you saw when you arrived was now filled with people and food trucks, music and other happiness sounds - it made you feel slightly sad and was exactly where Donghae was guiding you to.

“Why are we going there?” you asked in a low tone, walking behind him, almost letting go of his grip.

“I thought it’d be nice to change the atmosphere, get more comfortable instead of just dining and going back.” he turned back at you and smiled, pulling your hand back to where it was. “Do you want something sweet to eat after dinner? They have cotton-candy around here somewhere.”

You watched him look around, searching for cotton-candy, and couldn’t help but smile. Donghae was even more sweet than the sugar based candy, he made you feel butterflies like a teenager and he didn’t even have to try really hard.

After a while, Donghae managed to get cotton-candy for both of you and soon you were walking around with small pink clouds of sugar. The summer breeze was getting chillier but, even though you were getting cold in your dress as the night went on, you started feeling better.

“Y/N you’re shivering.” Donghae stated, handing you his half eaten cotton-candy. As soon as you took it, he took off his blue blazer and covered your shoulders with it. “Take this, you’re cold.”

“Thank you…” you whispered, feeling your cheeks warm up and he smiled brightly at you. You gave him back his candy and took his arm, letting him take you somewhere quieter.

He stopped in a patio covered with twinkling lights and a lot of summer flowers on the poles - there were less people and the relative peace and quiet made you feel at ease. Donghae finished his cotton-candy and threw the stick away, coming back to you with determined eyes.

“I want to be honest with you always, so I’ll say this: what you said earlier made me a bit insecure. It’s a great responsibility to be someone’s “firsts” and I didn’t know if I could bear that.” he said, making your whole body freeze. “But... There’s always a but.” Donghae smiled, intertwining his fingers with yours. “But you said you didn’t want it to be with just anyone, you wanted it to be with someone truly in love with you. And, Y/N… I’m- I’m completely head over heels for you…”

“Donghae-”

“I’m in love with you.” his free hand cupped your face, trembling but so warm against your skin. “You would never be just another name on a list to me. And if you let me be your first, I’ll take care of you. I’ll be your last…”

He was so close you could feel his breathing on you, his eyes were staring deep into yours and you realized he was asking for your permission - he wasn’t going to go further if you said no, if you stepped back; you were nervous, shaking, frightened. But you didn’t step back, you didn’t say no, you nodded to him, making him smirk.

Donghae leaned in, softly pressing his lips against yours, making your eyes instinctively close and a wave of warmth filled your whole body - his hands wrapped your waist delicately, pulling you closer, deepening the kiss just enough to make you hug his neck slowly, dropping what was left of your cotton-candy on the ground, making him smile against your lips.

“Well, that’s a waste…” he mumbled as you tried to breath again, your eyes still closed, still hugging him. He kissed your forehead, putting a small distance between you both. “You look good with my blazer.”

You felt your cheeks get hotter and bit your lip to hide your smile, shuffling his blazer on your shoulders to keep it in place and he extended his hands to help you - without noticing, his fingers touched your face lightly, playing with your hair and your eyes met.

“Perfect…” you muttered, and Donghae’s smile got wider, making you look away from his lovely gaze. “A perfectly good cotton-candy to waste…”

Donghae’s laugh filled your ears, making you giggle too.