#shownu au

you and shownu's arrived in okada and check in together in one room. you were fixing yours and shownu's things nicely while he is taking a bath.

"what do we do next?" you asked, shouting across the room. shownu hummed thinking what they should do next.

"what do YOU want to do?" shownu asked.

"you choose. you paid, right?" chuckling, you said, "i am here to be your companion today"

"wanna start gambling? yeah let's do that" shownu steped out of the bathroom, half naked. as soon as you saw him like that, you immediately looked away and pretend not to see anything and pretend you are occupied with something.

"come one you don't have to look away quickly like that. im offended" shownu jokingly said.

"silly" you laughed, "ill just change my clothes" you retouched your make up and wore a silky black dress that is complimenting your body. you curled your hair and you're ready to go.

"let's go" you queued shownu.

"you look beautiful" shownu stepped closee to you, snaking his hands around your waist. he placed a chaste kiss on your shoulders, and start nibbing your neck.

you held shownu's cheeks stoping him from placing an another kiss on your skin. hyunwoo look at you looking like a child asking his mom for a chocolate which made you laugh.

"we do not want to stay here all day right?" you teased, smiling. you knew how you are affecting shownu.

"we could stay all day" shownu said then proceeds to kiss your lips hungrily. you were smiling between your kisses but you stood up to your stand. tapping shownu's shoulders, he seperates.

whinning he said, "all right, all right" he grabbed your hands and left the room

upon arriving to the place, you both sat down in a table to play poker. you were supposed to seatdown beside shownu but he pulled you closer making you seat on his right thigh. you was stunned but you just let him do what he wants. the game started, which was surprisingly going smooth. he's lost some chips but eventually won doubles.

"straight flush" the dealer announced making shownu win the round.

another round is starting again, you are sipping to your champagne and watching how the other guys fuming over shownu who is currently enjoying his game. after seeing his card, shownu leaned back and pushed a couple of chips highering his bet.

you felt hyunwoo's hands kneading your thigh. you immediately look back what he is up to but he is just currently chill on his chair. you just let the guy enjoy your thigh, you worked hard for her thigh why not let the man enjoy what you worked hard for.

you took a sip on your champagne but choked when you felt shownu's fingers on your clothed core. shownu started rubbing your clit in circular motion which is making you insane. knowing that people might see you both but doing this just adds up to your anticipation on what will happen next.

your breathe starts to go deeper and slower as shownu started to insert his fingers inside your underwear and placing his middle finger inside you. he start moving his finger in slow pace making you go insane due to slow simulation. you held his wrist making shownu chuckle while caught your attention and looking back at him. you him smirk and you knew why because on that exact moment you felt two fingers inside you with so much faster pace. you let out a small whimper while fidgeting hyunwoo's chips between your fingers.

"you don't want anyone to hear that you are a slut for my fingers right?" shownu pushed back your stray hair with his freehand making you nod her head. you're currently biting your lips trying to hold in your moans. the last thing you want to do is get banned to this casino, right?

"all in" hyunwoo announced his last bet pushing the chips leaving one piece you are holding to fidget while containing your pleasure in silent. at this point, your elbow is now placed on the table.

you let out a small chuckle when you felt shownu hitting your sweet spots. chuckles to hide your moans. you placed your left hands on shownu's left thigh to support your body who is now near to your release.

everyone in the table is one by one revealing their cards, shownu pulled you closer and placed his chin on your shoulder with his was freehand is now occupying your clit, massaging it gently making you dig her nails on hyunwoo's thigh.

"sir?" you knew shownu's hands are occupied so you reached for his cards and revealed his cards. "royal flush"

you felt a knot nearing to your release, "come on, don't be shy" shownu whipered to your ear nibbing your ear. upon hearing his deep voice you felt your release to his fingers. hyunwoo was still not stopping his pace, but instead making it a lot faster.

"shownu " you whimpered.

"what?" you closed your eyes and bit your lips due to this oversimulation.

"fold" hyunwoo announced pushing his cards and watch the other players play.

"shownu" you whispered-moan and released to your high. hyunwoo remove his fingers, bringing out his handkerchief cleaning you off.

you lead back on his chest to catch your breath.

"that was amazing" you said. still not believing you did all of that in public.

"of course it is amazing" shownu laughed. you tired to sit comfortably but halt when you felt something behind you.

"do you wanna go back to our room?" you whispered.

Eric snorted. “It looked just as terrifying. Yet here we are, and I’m okay, but you… well, you look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”

Spinning around suddenly and throwing the flashlight under his chin, Eric made a grumbling noise to scare you, a shriek filling the otherwise empty corridor of the old home.

“That wasn’t funny!” you remarked once you recovered, Eric busting out with laughter.

“Your face was hilarious. What’s a scaredy-pants like you doing inside a place like this, Y/N?”

The truth was you had heard the rumours about the house down by the quarry. Once the home to an affluent family, before they came into ruins, all you could see now was the charm of the homestead. Sure, several of the weatherboard panels were rotting, and the roof had seen better days. With some tender loving care, you were convinced the quarry home could be magnificent once more.

And after admiring it from afar for the last three years of living in the area, you were compelled to enter it, at least once. You recently found the floor plans in the local library archive, and since then, the home was always on your mind.

“It’s to do with my career. You should understand why I’m pulled towards this place.”

Eric scoffed. “A place like this doesn’t need a newbie interior designer. It needs a bulldozer.”

“Nonsense!” you cried with horror, patting the wall as if to soothe any bad luck your assistant had just breathed into this place. “You can’t remove history like this.”

“Well, they’ve tried. But you know, the resident ghost won’t let them.”

“Those rumours don’t scare me, Eric.”

“They should. No grown human breaks into a place like this not respecting the stories.”

“It’s unfortunate, the history of this place,” you agreed, growing bolder when you made it safely to the second floor of the home. Glancing at Eric, you smiled sadly. “Losing their eldest son must have destroyed the owners.”

“His body was never recovered, Y/N. It was a murder case.”

You sighed, struggling to separate your thoughts from the stories you and Eric had been fed constantly since you moved to the area.

“No one has confirmed that.”

“No one can,” Eric mentioned with a spooky tone, shivering against his better judgement. “Okay, I’m starting to feel like a scaredy-cat myself.”

“It’s totally safe. I read the engineering report from six years ago. This place is as solid as a rock.”

Eric grimaced. “I don’t think I want to be inside of a rock either, Y/N. Can we hurry up and look at whatever it is that has your interest piqued and then get out of here? It’s cold, and I want to get as far as I can from this place.”

“Why are you suddenly feeling so weirded out? The house is entirely empty. It would be different if there were remaining furniture and a sense of what had been lost. Get it together, Eric.”

“How the tables have turned,” he muttered, shining his light into the next room. Pulling out your phone, you switched on your torch feature and pushed ahead, a positive murmur expelling from you.

“This is it.”

“This?” Eric echoed, looking around the room in confusion. “We broke into a haunted house just for what looks to once have been a nursery?”

Rolling your eyes, you moved over to the unique wall panelling. “This is why. Look at how exquisite this detailing is.”

“I have to admit. It is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”

Running your hand gently along the ornate detailing, you sighed dreamily. “The artist behind this was phenomenal. We truly don’t have this style of panelling readily accessible today. It must have taken whoever created this several solid weeks to complete it.”

“It was months, actually,” a new voice mentioned, and you froze, slowly glancing over your shoulder.

“Who-who are you?” Eric asked in a little more than a whisper.

The newcomer was void of a reaction, his cold eyes penetrating yours. “The caretaker of this home. You’re not meant to be in here, now, are you?”

“Sorry, I just–”

“We’re leaving!” Eric cut in with a squeak, tugging on your arm. “We won’t come again!”

Watching the man as Eric dragged you to the exit of the room, you wondered why his gaze grew sombre. Yanking free from Eric, you turned back for the stairs, but he latched onto your waist.

“Don’t go back up there, Y/N!”

“He seems to know about the panelling!”

“Before he calls the cops, come on!” Eric urged, and you groaned, following Eric to the front door.

But all the way home, you couldn’t help but envision the strange man’s dark eyes.

As if he had a story worth listening to.

_________________

Part 2

All rights reserved © prettywordsyouleft

You could tell he was nervous as he fidgeted in the seat beside you. You bit back a smile as you pulled to a stop outside their house.

“Ready?” You glance over at him.

He nods once a tight smile on his face.

“Relax. They already have met you and like you. It’s not necessary to stress about any of this.”

He nods again before giving you a quick smile. He grasps the bottle of wine you had recommended when he insisted on bringing a gift for your friends. You watch him read the label quickly.

“It’s Louis’s favorite so he’ll love it.”

“Thanks again for the recommendation.”

“Welcome.” You reply as you get out of the car.

“What do you think he’s making for dinner?” He asks you while you both walk towards the front steps.

“Mmm… he likes to make it a surprise so I’m not sure. Do you hope it is anything special?”

He shrugs as you press the doorbell. “I’m really hungry.”

You agree before the door opens and Daphne is grinning at you.

“Welcome! Come in, come in,” she opens the door wider and you both enter shedding your shoes. “Shownu, Louis is in the kitchen and needs a taste tester if you are interested.”

“Yes,” he replies with a wide grin rubbing his hands as he goes in the direction Daphne points him.

“Hey!” She hugs you quickly. “How was the drive over?”

“Good,” you walk with her to the sitting room. “He’s a little nervous.”

“I can tell.”

You bite back a laugh before curling up in your favorite spot.

“So, how has your work week been?”

“Interesting,” you respond before you both jump into the details of the past week or so.

….

He walked you to your door with a sleepy smile.

“Full of good food?”

“And a lot of good company.” He answers.

You smile before unlocking your door. “Thank you for coming tonight.”

“Thank you for inviting me,” he responds and reaches out, his fingers brushing your hand. “I had a great time.”

“Me too. You are invited back you know?”

“I appreciate that,” he smiles shifting a step closer.

“Goodnight Shownu,” you breath quickly before slipping into your apartment and closing the door. Your heart racing. You lean back on the door fishing out your phone to text Daphne as you try not to panic.

“...Why would I tell him?” you’d asked with a very confused, wrinkled forehead.

Shouldn’t it have been completely obvious why you hadn’t told him? And would never tell him?

“Yeah, but you don’t know how he feels if you don’t try! What if you confess to him, and he says he’s been crushing on you for a long time, too! But he’s just never worked up the nerve to tell you! And then the two of you start dating, you graduate and go to college together, you get married, you have kids, and live the rest of your lives in domestic bliss!” Miley replied before sighing dreamily.

You stared at her from across the lunch table, one brow quirked and the most confused half-grin on your lips.

“Are you serious?” you finally asked. “That’s... never going to happen. This is real life, Miles, not a fairy tale.”

Miley rolled her eyes. “Oh, please, what I just described isn’t a fairy tale, either! It’s perfectly possible!”

“Not with Shownu, it’s not,” you murmured. “We live in the same neighborhood. If he liked me, don’t you think he would have at least talked to me by now?”

“There’s a party on Saturday,” Miley replied instead of answering your question. “I know you don’t want to, but you should come. Even if just for a little while!”

“Give me one good reason.”

“Because I want you to come.”

Since you were a shy introvert, your first instinct was to say “Absolutely not.”

...But Miley hardly ever asked you to go to a party. She knew you would say ‘No,’ and she respected your choice. So, her even asking you in the first place was kind of a big deal.

It was also your last year of high school; if you were ever going to actually go to a high school party, now was pretty much the time.

And... it’s not like you had any other plans this weekend besides reading and Netflix.

So, you let out a deep sigh.

And, despite your extreme urge to refuse, you said, “...Okay, fine.”

Miley froze, her eyes wide and her jaw agape.

“Yes, I said ‘okay, fine,’” you repeated with pursed lips. “But I’m driving us there so I can choose when we leave.”

“DEAL!” Miley cried, causing several classmates in the vicinity to turn and look at her. She clapped a hand over her mouth and shot you an apologetic look.

You simply rolled your eyes as you suppressed a smile.

There was no question in your mind that Miley wanted you to go to this party because Shownu would be there, and there was no question in your mind she would try to make you talk to him -- at the very least.

...This weekend was going to be interesting.

“I’m home!” you called out as you pushed the front door open with your knee. You turned sideways so you could fit through with your load of grocery bags, though before you could even take three steps into the entryway, Shownu was jogging down the hall to meet you.

“Hey, welcome back,” he greeted with a small smile. “Let me get those.”

He carefully -- but easily -- took one handful of bags from you and then the other before turning to head down to the kitchen.

“How --” you started to ask.

“She’s upstairs taking a nap,” Shownu answered before you could even finish, his voice soft so as not to wake up your sleeping daughter.

Ever since you had welcomed your daughter into your life, this had been the grocery routine: you would go shopping while Shownu stayed home with her. You truly didn’t mind because you would rather pick things out yourself, and Shownu always took over carrying things in and putting them away. You did most of the cooking, anyway (while Shownu did most of the dishes, in turn), so it made sense for you to shop for all of the food and household items you needed. In your eyes, it was a completely fair deal.

You followed Shownu down the hallway, waiting until he’d set the bags down on the counter before resting your hand in-between his shoulders blades.

“How are you?” you asked with one corner of your lips quirked up into a half-smile.

Shownu glanced at you over his shoulder, returning your smile with an adorable one of his own and leaning in to press a quick kiss to your lips. “I’m glad you’re home,” he answered.

Even though your husband always insisted you didn’t have to help put the groceries away -- you did all the shopping, after all -- when you came home to a sleeping toddler, you couldn’t resist. 

As slightly sad as it sounds, it was a nice way to get in ten extra minutes of alone time with him. And, Lord knows, after having a baby, alone time was in short supply.

By some miracle, your daughter was still quietly sleeping even after you finished putting all the groceries away, so you and Shownu decided to continue your alone time on the sofa.

As soon as you flopped down onto the cushion, Shownu reached out and circled his arms around you, pulling you against his chest. A smile tugged at your lips, and you nestled into him, inhaling his familiar scent and fitting your head into the crook of his neck.

Even after all these years, being in his embrace, being held so tightly made your heart all warm and fluttery.

“Are you sure I look okay?” you asked Miley for probably the fifth time as the two of you headed down the walkway of... Well, you weren’t sure exactly who was throwing this party. But you were walking toward his or her house, anyway.

And for probably the fifth time, Miley replied with, “Yes, you look amazing. I promise.”

You had let your best friend pick out your outfit for this party, and while she really hadn’t dressed you in anything you didn’t actually like... you just weren’t sure you liked it on you. But if she said you looked amazing, you figured you should trust her.

When you reached the front door, Miley stopped. She turned toward you and took your hands in hers, squeezing them affectionately. “You can have a good time if you let yourself,” she said with a half-smile. “And I swear I won’t purposefully try to get Shownu to talk to you.”

You shook your head gently as you let out a breathless chuckle at her promise.

“But if it happens accidentally, then I won’t do anything to stop it!” she added cheerfully.

Before you had the chance to assure her that was not going to happen, Miley opened the door and practically pushed you inside.

As soon as she closed the door behind you, you felt uncomfortable.

All of the people you didn’t know, the music, the red, plastic cups you knew had alcohol in them even though nobody here was legally allowed to drink...

It was an introvert’s nightmare, basically. But you’d promised Miley you would come and that you would try to have fun. 

You’d also promised to stay for at least an hour, so it was time to find a quiet corner -- and maybe a pet, if one was available -- and play games on your phone.

But you didn’t even take one step down the hallway before Miley gently grabbed your upper arm and murmured into your ear, “Do not just find a chair to sit in for an hour.”

You whipped your head around to look at her, your brow furrowed deeply. “But I --”

“I’ll stay with you the whole time,” she assured you. “But I’m not letting you just make yourself invisible. This is one of the last times we’ll be around these people. In a few months, we’ll all be graduating and going off to college, and you’ll never know what you might have missed out on if you just find an empty corner and play games on your phone the whole night.”

To be quite honest, you didn’t quite feel the same way about high school as Miley did. You had a strong inkling you really wouldn’t miss it once you left, but... to appease your best friend (whom you would miss once you left), you simply let out a soft sigh and nodded.

“All right,” you relented. “But if you leave me, and I end up alone --”

“You’ll never forgive me, I know,” Miley interrupted with a grin. “Now, come on. Let’s see if Shownu is here yet.”

“You said you wouldn’t --”

“I’m not! But if we just happen to run into him...”

You groaned as Miley tugged you down the hallway, already wishing your promised hour was up so you could go home.

After Miley had procured a drink for herself and a bottle of water for you, she led you around the house, stopping to say ‘hello’ and chat with anyone she even vaguely recognized. You knew a few people (knew of was more accurate, though, since you’d never actually had real conversations with any of them), but for the most part, everyone at this party was a stranger to you.

But then you saw Shownu.

Someone Miley had been chatting with had mentioned there were some games going on down in the basement -- which you figured probably meant Beer Pong or whatever it was -- so, she had excused you both and coerced you down there.

You had no intention of playing any sort of game, and Miley definitely knew that. When you reached the bottom of the basement stairs, though, you heard her whisper “Bingo.”

And that’s when you saw him.

And that’s when you knew.

Miley wasn’t going to purposely make you talk to him -- or make him talk to you -- but she sure as heck was going to purposely find him and force you to be in the same room as him.

Thankfully, Miley didn’t immediately push you toward him. She didn’t even go up to join the small group he was talking to. Instead, she corralled you over to a sofa with a couple of empty spots, and after over an hour of walking around and socializing, it was more than nice to be able to sit down and relax.

“How you holding up?” Miley asked, setting her drink down on the coffee table before sliding her arm through yours and resting her head on your shoulder.

“Well, we’ve been here for more than an hour, and I haven’t brought up leaving yet,” you answered. Which was true. But would you tell her you were having a good time? No, you would not.

“We’ll stay down here for a little while -- just to see! And if nothing happens after... half an hour, then we can --”

“Leave?” you interrupted, knowing she had just been about to say you could go back upstairs. But you wanted to take your chances.

Miley let out a soft sigh and nuzzled her head against your shoulder. “Okay, fine.”

It took everything in you not to pump your fist and cry out with a ‘yes!’

Miley sat back up and leaned over to get her drink, and you -- in true you fashion -- began to daydream. Half of your brain was daydreaming about Shownu coming over to talk to you, and the other half was daydreaming about going back home and turning yourself into a burrito blanket.

But then a loud voice interrupted your daydream before you even got the chance to really start.

Sigh.

“All right, everyone,” one of the guys standing near Shownu called out. And you kind of thought maybe he was the one throwing the party. Hadn’t you come trick-or-treating at this house once when you were little? And his mom had answered the door and given you two handful of chocolate? 

The guy began talking again, and you shook your head to rid yourself of your rambling thoughts. “Since this is our last high school party, I thought we should take it old school and play some games we used to as kids.”

Ooh, like Go Fish?

“So, we’re starting out with Seven Minutes in Heaven.”

...Oh. So, not Go Fish.

You started to get off the sofa, but Miley tightened her hold on your arm and pulled you back down.

Excuse me?

She expected you to join in on Seven Minutes in Heaven? The game where you get shut into a closet with someone and are expected to make out?

...Was she drunk?

“Miles, how much have you had to drink?”

“Not as much as you’re thinking. Just relax, your name probably won’t even be picked.”

Just after she said that, someone handed each of you a slip of paper and a pencil. You figured you were supposed to write your name on it, drop it into someone’s hat, and then somebody would pick out two names.

As your heart began to thump in your chest, you quickly scribbled down your name and thrust your slip of paper into Miley’s hand.

Oh, god, why hadn’t you written down someone else’s name?! That was a genius plan!

You tried to get the piece of paper back from your best friend, but she closed her fist tightly, hopped up off the couch, and dropped both pieces into a hat the guy who’d announced the game was holding out.

You watched with wary eyes as everyone in the basement came to put their name in the hat. All the while, your brain was repeating over and over again, “Your name probably won’t even be picked.”

When the party host started shaking the hat around, you closed your eyes.

Your name probably won’t even be picked. Your name probably won’t -- oh, god, why had you done this? -- even be picked. Your name probably --

“Y/N!”

Well, there went your friendship with Miley.

“Shownu!”

...Excuse me what?

...Oh, wait. Did you just say that out loud?

Before you even knew what was happening, someone (presumably Miley) had forced you to stand up and was pushing you toward an open door. The other party-goers in the basement were hooting and hollering, and Shownu was walking toward the door, too, and it was all such a blur and then you were suddenly in the closet and someone was closing the door behind you.

Oh, my god.

Oh, my god.

You were currently shut in a closet with Shownu.

It was completely dark, so you couldn’t see anything, but you could feel him standing in front of you. You could hear his breathing, even over the anxious rushing in your ears.

Actually, the longer you stood in silence, the more you could hear how rapid and erratic his breaths were.

“...Are you... okay?” you asked, though you were incredibly surprised you were able to manage words right now. And you were also surprised that those were your very first words you’d ever spoken to him.

“I, uh --” he stammered. “I just... don’t want to be in here.”

Your heart sank when you heard his answer. Or maybe a cold knife went through it. Or both.

He didn’t want to be in here with you.

Wonderful.

“Sorry,” you murmured, feeling a bit breathless. “We don’t have to do anything --”

“No, no!” he interjected. “Not -- it’s not you. I just -- I don’t like small spaces. Or being closed in.”

It honestly took everything in you not to let out a huge sigh of relief. 

He didn’t want to be in here because he was claustrophobic! That was great news!

I mean, not really because he was probably on the edge of freaking out, but you know what I mean.

“Oh!” you breathed. “Well. I, uh... I don’t like flying, but my grandparents live too far away to drive, so we have to fly every time we go see them, and I’ve found that writing down memories or future plans I’m looking forward to helps -- except you don’t have a pen and paper in here, so you can just talk about them. What are you doing after graduation?”

...You were thoroughly impressed that you’d just said all of those words to Shownu. And they all made sense! They’d been a bit hurried and maybe you’d stumbled on a few here and there, but you’d talked to him!

“Well,” he replied with a soft, anxious chuckle. “I got accepted at my first choice, so I’m moving there once summer is over.”

“Oh, really? Which school?”

And when Shownu told you his future alma mater, your heart skipped a couple of beats. “Really?” you asked. “Me, too. Both of my parents went there, so it’s becoming a sort of family tradition.”

“Do you know which dorm you’re in?” he inquired.

“Morris Hall,” you answered with a grin. You’d just received the email yesterday, and you’d been looking at layouts and pictures of the dorms online to try and figure out how you wanted to decorate it.

“No way, same here,” Shownu replied, and you could hear he was grinning, as well.

Oh, good gracious. Not only where you and Shownu going to the same university in the fall, but you would be in the same dorm?

...Were you going to survive your freshman year?

“Your name is... Y/N, right?” he asked, sounding a bit less confident than he usually looked.

You simply hummed positively, nodding even though he couldn’t hear you.

“We live in the same neighborhood, don’t we?” he continued.

“Yes -- I mean, I think we do.”

“...How come we’ve never talked or anything?” Shownu sounded genuinely confused, and it was probably the cutest thing ever.

“Well -- we, uh -- I guess we just... haven’t ever been in the same classes?” Which you knew was true because you’d been keeping track. By some act of Satan, Shownu’s schedule had literally never matched up with yours. Some semesters, you’d had the same teacher, just different class periods, and it had taken everything in you not to ask the guidance counselor to switch your classes just so you could be in the same room as him.

“Yeah, that must be it,” he murmured. “What are you majoring in?”

And so your conversation continued, focusing mainly on your university plans and what you wanted to do for a career, but there was also some high school and neighborhood talk sprinkled in there.

A loud knock suddenly rang through the air, and a muffled voice announced you had one minute left.

Really? Six minutes had already gone by?

“Hey,” Shownu began, and you could feel him shifting around. “Thank you. All that talking really did help. I actually completely forgot we were... in a closet.”

You could feel your cheeks warming, and you were now glad there was no light whatsoever. “You’re welcome. I’m glad it helped.”

You then heard some rustling, and after a few moments, the light of his phone screen shone through the darkness. “Here, put your number in -- if you want to. You don’t have to, of course, I just figured since we’re going to the same university --”

You took his phone, though you truly had no idea how your hands were not shaking right now.

After typing in your number, you handed it back to him. The soft light from the screen illuminated his face slightly, and you could see he was smiling as he looked down at your number.

Oh, god, you were about to die. Your heart was going to give out right here, right now. Shownu was smiling because you had given him your number.

You knew the whole point of Seven Minutes in Heaven was to make out with someone, but what had just happened between you and Shownu had been so much better.

It didn’t take long for Shownu to lie back down on the sofa, pulling you with him and shifting so you could rest partially on his chest.

You let out a very content sigh as you settled in and tangled your legs with his. There was hardly anything better in the world than cuddling like this with Shownu, even though you’d done it countless times by now.

“All we need is an episode of Law & Order playing on the television, and it would be just like old times,” Shownu murmured.

You chuckled softly, lifting your free hand and beginning to trace over the letters on his t-shirt. “But you would also need to be eating something.”

“Not just any something,” he replied.

And then both of you said, “Luigi’s Pizza” at the same time.

Yep, that was it. Law & Order, Luigi’s Pizza, and sofa snuggle sessions. That described your last year of college to a T.

That was the year you and Shownu had (finally) gotten together. After almost three and a half years of being friends, Shownu had confessed his feelings for you, and you’d been dating -- and then engaged, and then married -- ever since.

When you’d walked out of that closet all those years ago at the party you hadn’t wanted to go to, you’d truly thought you wouldn’t hear from Shownu again. He had gotten your number, and the two of you had been set to live in the same dorm at university just a few months later, but still. Why would he have actually wanted to hang out with you? Talk to you? Get to know you?

But, to your surprise. he had texted you the next day. Nothing super exciting -- it had just been a simple “hey how’s your weekend?” but that was still worlds more than you’d been expecting.

In fact, the entire summer turned out to be worlds more than you were expecting. You and Shownu actually... hung out. You talked. You got to know each other. And when you both eventually packed up and moved into your new dorm for your first year of college, Shownu actually called you his friend.

While getting to know Shownu on a personal level did confirm that your crush on him had been completely justified, you... actually weren’t heartbroken or disappointed in the least that he saw you as just a friend. You had kind of gone into this knowing he wouldn’t see you as anything more because... why would he?

But anyway -- the two of you had grown pretty close during the first three years of university. Shownu was much more outgoing than you, but as it turned out, he liked to stay in for a quiet night just as much as you did. He was quietly intelligent, highly adaptable and laid-back, and he made friends more easily than you could ever comprehend. He was the perfect balance to your very structured, slightly stubborn, incredibly shy self. 

The two of you had spent just about every weekend together, even moving to the same apartment complex after two years in the dorm.

You studied together, ate meals together, watched movies together -- Shownu had even convinced you to work out with him a handful of times.

And then one night during your Senior year, Shownu had just come out and confessed. The rest, obviously, was history.

“Do you... remember when we first met?” you asked, keeping your gaze focused on your finger as you continued to trace over Shownu’s t-shirt.

“Yeah,” he murmured, and you could tell his eyes were closed. If you kept on tracing his shirt, he would probably be asleep within five minutes. “Seven Minutes in Heaven.”

“Miley forced me to go to that party,” you told him with a bashful grin.

Shownu let out a soft chuckle, his breath ruffling the hair on top of your head. “I wondered about that. Especially after I really got to know you. I mean, I’m glad you came. Obviously. But have you been to a party since?”

“No,” you laughed.

“Why did she force you to go?”

“Oh, you know,” you sighed. “Typical ‘the last time we’ll get to see these people’ stuff. And... well, I kind of had a major crush on you.”

Shownu paused, and for some reason... you were nervous. You weren’t sure why because Shownu was literally your husband and the father of your child, but... you had never told him. 

“Wait, really?” he asked, squeezing your shoulder a little.

“Yeah,” you chuckled awkwardly. “For basically all of high school. You have no idea how nervous I was when we got shoved into that closet together.”

“Wait, what? You had a crush on me for all of high school?”

You pressed your lips together, nodding and letting out a positive hum.

“Wh -- Babe, why did you never tell me?” he asked, sounding probably as shocked as you’d ever heard him.

“Because! Once I got comfortable enough around you, we were already friends,” you explained.

Shownu moved to sit up then, gently pushing you up, too, and turning to face you. His forehead was adorably wrinkled as he stared at you, and then he asked, “Did you... like me the whole time?”

You thought for a moment before lifting one shoulder into a clumsy shrug. “I mean, the feelings were always there, yes. But I wasn’t, like, pining. At first, it was kinda hard, yeah. I really liked you even before we met, and then getting to know you proved how justified my crush was because you’re such an amazing person. But... eventually... I don’t know. You just became my friend, and that’s what I saw you as. For the most part.”

Shownu still looked incredibly confused, even after your explanation, so you decided to continue.

“Okay, do you remember the night I found out my dad had been in an accident?”

He nodded.

“I called you over because you were the only person I knew I could trust with my vulnerability. I didn’t want to tell anyone else -- just you. I knew you wouldn’t be uncomfortable, and you would know what to do, and... I just wanted you to be there with me. Not because I thought you would hug me and I just wanted to be in your arms -- because... I needed my friend.”

You felt like you weren’t making much sense, but Shownu’s look of confusion had faded slightly, so maybe you were.

“But... you still liked me?”

“Of course, I did,” you smirked. “The feelings were always there. They... just took a back seat for a while.”

“Until I confessed.”

“Until you confessed.”

“And I never figured it out?”

“My love...” you chuckled softly. “You’re rather... oblivious. I’m not saying I was being obvious in the least, but even if I had been flirting in your face... you probably wouldn’t have noticed.”

He furrowed his brow then and shot you a curious look. “If I hadn’t --”

“Let’s... not go there,” you interrupted, resting a hand on his upper arm.

Believe me, you’d thought about that before. A lot. You’d come to the conclusion that it wasn’t healthy to think about Ifs. If this had happened differently in any way... you may not be where you were right now, and where you were right now was exactly where you wanted to be.

Shownu nodded slowly for a few moments before moving to put an arm around your shoulders. He pulled you in close, pressing a kiss to your temple and not moving for almost a minute.

“I love you,” he murmured against your skin.

A smile sprung onto your lips, and you closed your eyes so you could truly revel in this feeling. Even though he’d held you and kissed you and told you he loved you literally hundreds of thousands of times by now, you never took it for granted. You never got tired of it, not even the tiniest bit.

“I love you, too,” you replied before you tilted your head back and requested a real kiss.

Just as Shownu obliged, placing his lips on yours... your daughter’s babbling trickled through the speaker of the baby monitor.

You smiled wryly, letting out a soft chuckle and kissing your husband quickly before pushing yourself off of the sofa. “I got her,” you said. Shownu had just been a single parent for almost two hours while you’d been grocery shopping, so it was your turn to take the reins.

Before you could leave, though, Shownu reached out and gently took hold of your wrist.

“Hey,” he said quietly.

You raised your eyebrows, turning to look down at him.

“Thank you. For... everything. For being a great wife and a great mom and a great person and... for being you. Thank you.”

You’d known Shownu for so many years now. You knew everything about him, and yet... he still managed to surprise you sometimes.

He could be oblivious and clueless and even too laid back. He showed you he loved you all the time, of course, but he wasn’t always the best at telling you. Usually, you were the one to say it first, and he would respond with that sweet, eye-crinkling smile of his.

And then he had moments like this. Moments where he thanked you for being you, just out of the blue.

You wouldn’t lie: sometimes it felt like you were married to two different guys. But you didn’t really have a problem with that because you loved both of them. You loved all sides of Shownu with your whole heart, and you always would.

You leaned down to press yet another kiss to his lips, murmuring a “You’re welcome” against them.

But your daughter’s voice interrupted you again, so you laughed softly and excused yourself once more.

As you headed down the hallway, though, you heard Shownu’s footsteps thudding behind you. He came up and slid his arms around your waist, announcing that he was coming with you.

“You don’t have to,” you chuckled, walking awkwardly with him behind you.

“But I want to. There’s no one else I’d rather spend time with,” he told you as he kissed your cheek. “You’re my friend, too. My best friend. And we made the best daughter in the world, so... yeah. I’m coming with you. Always.”

Well, there he went again. Surprising you.

But instead of getting all emotional and sappy about it and reacting as his wife, you decided to react as his friend.

“Oh, so I’m your friend,” you said.

Shownu nodded, humming positively in response to your statement.

“You... only see me as a friend.”

“Wait -- no, that’s not what I meant --”

“Okay, then, friend,” you teased as you approached the bottom of the staircase. “Let’s go get our daughter up from her nap, friend.”

“Be quiet,” he chuckled.

“Okay, friend, I’ll be quiet.”

You could tell Shownu was going to attack your sides with tickles at any moment, so you squirmed out of his hold and began to rush up the stairs.

Your husband was quick, though -- and you knew this. He chased you up, eliciting a laughing squeal from your throat, and you knew it was only a matter of time before he caught you, held you tightly, and kissed you until you admitted you were more than just a friend.

Despite your teasing, though, you knew Shownu was right. And you felt exactly the same way.

He was your husband, yes. The love of your life, absolutely. But he hadn’t just stopped being your friend the moment he’d confessed his feelings to you. He still was your friend. You still loved just hanging out with him and talking to him about whatever was on your mind. You still knew you could count on him to be there for you when you felt vulnerable. You still wanted to spend time with him more than anyone else (except maybe Miley, who was now the best Aunt to your daughter she could possibly be).

Truly, you couldn’t imagine your life being even an iota different than what it was right now, and you honestly didn’t even want to.

And to think... it all started in a basement closet.