Message In A Bottle (minho X Reader)

Message in a Bottle (minho x reader)

minho x reader fake dating college au!

a/n: i'm a lil bit too proud of this piece so if you hate it keep it to yourself, this is also the first full-length fic i've written so. inspired by the love hypothesis! came up with the idea originally a year ago after finishing the book.

words: 11.2k

warnings: smut with plot, reader is a virgin, reader uses she/her pronouns, typos, slight corruption kink, protection IS USED FOR ONCE. minho calls the reader a whore like once...maybe twice, lmk if i missed any.

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to say lee minho was boyfriend material would be a mere understatement. to be honest, you saw him as nothing better than just some guy who plays with girls around campus, yet here you were, sealing the deal with him. “it would be for like two months, tops,” minho said. you bit the inside of your cheek.

“and what are you getting out of it? what would you gain?” you asked him.

“lia getting off of my back,” he replied snarkily. lia and minho were exes you could say, but lia was the most consistent girl minho has ever been with. they were known to show up to campus parties and then mysteriously disappear, probably jerking each other off in the host’s room. you were pretty sure minho had every possible std there was out there considering his reputation. but yet here he was, asking you to fake date him for two months. “listen if you’re uncomfortable we don’t have to, but i’m just saying you’d have a reason for the board to believe that you’re gonna still attend miroh college for the rest of the school year and you could get the funds-”

“okay okay i’ll do it just, lets make up rules,” you said, cutting him off. minho smirked.

“lay it on me,” he replied.

“first of all, no kissing, like ever,” you said.

“how are people gonna think we are dating if you wont kiss me?” minho asked.

“well there’s other ways  to show affection-”

“you really think someone would believe i wouldnt kiss my girlfriend in public?” minho pointed out. 

“okay um, but i- i dont know-”

“have you ever kissed someone y/n?” minho questioned you. you felt your face burnt up slightly.

“i uh well this boy in my 6th grade-”

“no i mean really kissed,” minho added.

“it was pretty real to me,” you commented. minho chuckled.

“okay, so no kissing, but pda?” he asked. you nodded.

“yeah like, hand-holding and stuff,” you stated.

“got it, could i add my own rule?” minho asked.

“sure,” you said.

“dont fall for me, i mean the whole point of this is so i can get a girl off my back, not get another one on,” he said. you nodded confidently.

“will do, won’t catch me slipping,”you replied. minho stuck his hand out to you.

“so its a deal then?”

“deal.”

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you desperately needed this grant from your school, and rumors of you and minho dating would be the perfect way to convince them. this was the first time your school had ever declined your request when it came to your films. your short films had gained multiple awards and praise for miroh college, but it’s because of these awards that other colleges had offered to give you a full-ride scholarship to their schools. to be honest, you had played with the idea of transferring to a film-based college, but you were waiting for one in particular. stray film college had been your dream school since you were 15, and they finally reached out to you. they promised a full-ride scholarship if you could produce one more film, a film that needed to be a personal film. you had no idea what to do for it, but you knew you would need funds for the mic set and to possibly pay actors. you don’t know how or why, but somehow the school caught wind of this, and now suddenly they refused to help you with production altogether. you hate to admit it, but minho’s plan could very likely be the key to your dream school.

you were typing yet another email to your department’s head when someone tapped on the top of your laptop. you looked up and met eyes with your friend, hyunjin. hyunjin ran his fingers through his currently, long blonde hair. “blonde again jinnie?” you asked. 

“i needed a change, plus i haven’t tried blonde with my long hair yet so i figured now was the time,” he replied. you chuckled as he took a sit across from you. the two of you met up in the school cafeteria often, ever since you guys met as freshmen. hyunjin was actually the only actor that would always act in your films for free. that’s how the two of you became friends in the first place. “what are you working on now, y/n?” hyunjin asked.

“typing another email, i need to get the funds,” you replied.

“you think they’ll give it to you?” he asked again. you sighed.

“no, but they might soon,” you replied.

“whats the plan? do i need to beat up mr. park?” he questioned. he said the last part with a smirk.

“no hyunjin, this plan does not require anyone being beat up,” you said, you looked around, “it’s a secret for now, i’m sure you’ll hear within the next few days or so.”. hyunjin turned his head to the right.

“what’re you up to?” he asked.

“so many questions! just dont worry about it. you just have to know i have it figured out,” you told him. that was when the messages started.

[minho: hey we need to go to this party tonight

[minho: lia is bringing her entire group there

[you: um ive never been to a party before…

[minho: ur shitting me right?

[you: nope.

[minho: ill pick you up, just be ready in like an hour or two.

[you: hour?

[minho: 2 max, you need to meet some of my friends before hand

[you: i know your friends.

[minho: you know the rumors about my friends, but you dont know my friends

[minho: plus how exactly do you plan on getting home if i end up black out drunk?

[you: 2 and half hours.

[minho: deal.

you closed your laptop. “looks like part of my plan is taking place, ive got to go get ready,” you said, standing up.

“call me later?” hyunjin asked. you shrugged.

“ill be out pretty late,” you commented.

“y/n…you’re not prostituting are you?!” hyunjin asked.

“no! just dont worry ill explain later.”

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you stood in front of the mirror looking at your outfit. you had picked a slightly skimpy outfit, but felt it was appropriate for the occasion, it was a baby pink pleated skirt with a black t shirt. that was when you heard a knock at your dorm’s door. you sighed, knowing it was probably minho already picking you up. you opened the door, and was greeted by a well dressed minho. “you ready?” he asked. you nodded.

the car ride to wherever minho was taking you was uncomfortably silent. to be honest, up to this point you and minho had rarely ever spoken, let alone crossed paths. “so uh…who’s hosting the party?” you asked.

“chris bang,” minho answered flatly.

“i thought you guys hated each other?” you questioned.

“listen, he comes to my friends’ parties all the time, its more of a rivalry if anything,” he stated. you looked out of the window. chris bang was another infamous man around campus. he was the head of the double knot frat, and had a similar reputation to minho. chris’ rep was totally different, where minho was known to be a complete heart breaker, chris was more of the never the same girl twice kind of guy. he never really talked to girls long enough for them to think he liked them, but long enough to be intimate. unbeknownst to you, minho really did hate him. he just didnt make a big deal about it, besides there were more important things to be focusing on, such as making lia go away. minho pulled into an apartment complex. “attention passenger, we have reached destination jisung and changbin’s apartment,” minho announced. minho walked over to your side and opened the door for you. “m’lady” he said, motioning his other arm towards the apartment entrance. you laughed a bit before standing up.

“thank you, sir,” you told him. you closed the car door behind you, after which minho put an arm around your shoulder. you jumped at first being shocked by his action.

“remember, im just your lovely new boyfriend,” he whispered into your ear. you nodded. minho walked you to the door. minho knocked on the door, and surprisingly neither jisung or changbin answered. “seungmin! you’re coming along?” minho asked the man who opened the door.

“why not, haven’t gone out with you guys in a while,” seungmin answered. seungmin met eyes with you and raised his eyebrows. “who’s the chick?” he asked. 

“shes-”

“the chick is me. i’m y/n, minho’s girlfriend,” you introduced. seungmin looked over at minho in slight disbelief.

“seungmin the airconditioning is on, close the door!” changbin called. changbin walked over towards the door to see what seungmin was doing, and once again you were looked at with wide eyes. “who-”

“this is y/n, my girlfriend, i was going to tell you guys once i got inside but seungmin felt the need to question us before hand,” minho explained.

“y/n? as in film major y/n?” changbin asked you. you smiled at the recognition for films, and nodded.

“the one and only,” you replied. changbin stuck his hand out.

“your films are awesome, it amazes me that someone that’s my age could produce something like that,” he told you. you shook his hand.

“wow , uh thank you, i didnt take you to be the film type?” you stated. changbin nodded. 

“come in come in!” changbin said excitedly. 

“is it just me or does changbin look more excited to talk to your girlfriend than us,” seungmin mumbled to minho as the two of you walked in. minho shrugged.

“as long as the lady is happy,” he replied. seungmin looked at minho again. 

“since when did you care this much about your girlfriends?” seungmin asked.

“since her,” minho replied, pointing to you and changbin happily chatting. jisung bursted into the room form his bedroom. 

“alright let’s get the show on the road, wooyoung is saying chris has some free alcohol and i do not want to miss it,” jisung announce, car keys in hand. jisung looked over at you, “hello there, and who might you be?”. minho protectively put his arm around your shoulders.

“y/n, is my plus one tonight,” minho grinned. you nodded.

“also minho’s latest girlfriend,” seungmin commented. jisung looked at you and minho and shrugged.

“okay, whatever, we need to leave, like now,” he told everyone in the room.

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the moment the 5 of you arrived at the party it was complete chaos. there were girls completely topless dancing on tables, people trying to down as many shots as possible, and pda in every corner. minho grabbed your hand. “follow my lead,” he whispered to you. for some reason, minho holding your hand made your heart skip a tad. you nodded. minho led you to the porch in the back, where there were many familar faces, but particularly lia and her posse. lia had 4 other friends, yeji, ryujin, chaeryeong, and a freshman yuna. as far as you knew, they were all daddy’s money and felt some sort of entitlement at miroh college. other faces you recognized on this porch was of course, chris bang and his close friends, felix and another freshman jeongin. “lee, nice of you to show,” chris commented. minho looked back up.

“wouldn’t miss it, bang,” he replied. it wasnt until you noticed lia practically glaring at you that you remembered you were still holding minho’s hand.

“y/n? right?” chris asked you. you nodded. chris looked back between you and minho. “you two an item or something?” chris asked minho

“my girlfriend actually,” minho answered. 

“you ever been to a party before director?” chris interrogated. you hesitated before nodding.

“no she hasn’t,” lia said.

“yes i have, maybe you just haven’t seen me before,” you shot back.

“really? well then maybe you wouldn’t mind playing a few drinking games, you know, with the girls,” lia added. you nodded, more confidently this time.

“totally,” you replied. lia looked back at her girls, and at the same time minho whispered to you,

“y/n are you sure about this? i could easily think of a way out of this-”

“let’s go then,” you stated confidently to lia. lia smirked. 

“sounds fun, you boys won’t mind if we disappear for an hour or two,” she asked. minho glared at lia, knowing she was up to something. “oh c’mon minho, let the girl have some girl time, besides who knows, maybe by the time we’re back you’ll have found someone else to play with,” lia replied snarkely. minho clenched his teeth, but you put your hand on his shoulder as a way to tell him it was alright. yeji got up form her chair.

“let’s go,” she told her friend. you followed the 5 girls back into the frat house, where you ended up in some unknown person’s room. there were many other girls you recognized from around the campus in the room. yeji picked up a random bottle on the floor and read the name. “here, “y/n, you’ve surely had this before,” yeji picked up a bottle that had the name ‘jagermeister’ printed on it, and handed it to you. truth be told, you knew next to nothing about alcohol, let alone had you drunk more than the champagne you drank at new years.

“of course,” you lied. yeji looked back up at lia. 

“why don’t you take a drink or two?” lia said, handing you the bottle. you opened the bottle, and got a whiff of a black licorice that made you want to throw up an entire lung. “go on,” lia told you. you gulped before you started chugging it. the other girls looked at you in shock.

“y/n are you okay?” chaeryeong asked you. you squeezed your eyes and nose before nodding.

“yeah, totally, like i said, i’ve drank before..” you trailed off, “maybe not as intense as that.”. lia let out a scoff. you stood up. “either way, im gonna find minho,” you said. you walked away from the room, and as you closed the door you sighed. 

“girls giving you a hard time?” a familiar voice called. you turned to see jisung. 

“uh yeah sure,” you answered. 

“y’know its only because lia believes you and minho’s ruse,” he replied. 

“yeah i- wait what?” you asked surprisingly.

“i can read right through you two, minho may be able to fool the others but he still can’t fool me,” jisung explained. you looked at him, and started to open your mouth when jisung said, “don’t worry i wont tell anyone, i’m not sure why you two decided to do this, but i won’t tell,”.

“thank you, jisung,” you said. jisung moved to the side.

“welp, i’ve gotta go do what i was doing before i met up with you,” jisung told you.

“yeah, of course,” you replied. jisung walked passed you, and you watched as he left. you walked down the stairs to the first floor of the frat house. as you stood and watched chaos, you could suddenly feel the rush of the drink from earlier sinking in. it was then you felt a tap on your shoulder. 

“y/n are you okay?” minho asked. you stared at him for a second before feeling a sudden rush to your gut. you shook your head before you threw up all over minho and yourself. 

it was like the world stopped in that moment and your first instinct was to run away.

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you ran down the street, with no real destination in mind other than far away from the doubleknot frat. suddenly your fuzzy mind was interrupted by a voice.

“y/n?”

“y/n??”

“y/n!!”

and suddenly you were blacked out.

you groaned as you awoke in an unfamiliar bed room, but a quick sniff of the bed sheets you recognized it was hyunjin’s. you sat up and felt your head pounding. “goodmorning, sleeping beauty,” hyunjin said, standing in the door way. 

“what happened?” you asked.

“i should be asking you the same thing,” hyunjin replied. you thought for a moment on the events of last night.

“i know i was at chris bang’s party,” you said, “oh my god minho!”.you reached for your phone, which hyunjin had (thankfully) taken the liberty to plug in for you. just a glance at the messages you suddenly remembered a key moment from last night.

[minho: hey where are you?

[minho: y/n this isnt funny, answer your phone

[minho: im sorry.

“whats got you so worked up, and whats up with you and minho?” hyunjin asked.

“have rumors already spread?” you said. hyunjin let out a sigh.

“unfortunately a bit more than just some rumors spread,” he told you, showing you a video someone had taken of you throwing up on minho. you closed your eyes and lifted your head back.

“of course,” you let out. hyunjin wrapped and arm around your shouldand rubbed your arm.

“hey on the brightside i brought you some hang over food!” hyunjin announced. hyunjin got out of the bed and walked to the kitchen. you sent a quick message to minho.

[y/n: im so sorry a million times over, could we meet up today?

[minho: yeah, campus research center?

[y/n: sounds good.

hyunjin walked in with a breakfast bagel sandwich and a smoothie concoction. “what;s the drink?” you asked.

“hangover juice,” he answered. you took the drink from his hands and took a big gulp of it. you squeezed your eyes and nose.

“that is so gross why would you even give me that!” you exclaimed.

“i never said it was good,” hyunjin mumbled.

the school’s research center was surprisingly empty, with just a few students surrounding you. you waited until minho finally showed up. 

“minho,” you called. 

“you ever heard of answering your phone?” he asked aggresively.

“i know, im sorry, i can pay for dry cleaning-”

“thats  not what i was worried about, you rand out of the party with no one, drunk and alone, do you know how scary that sounds?” minho asked you.

“i- uh, yeah,” you replied. there was an awkward pause.

“i’m sorry, y/n, i was just, i was really worried,” he stated. you nodded. “so you got home safe?” minho asked. 

“yeah, my friend hyunjin found me, luckily,” you asnwered.

“good,” minho said. 

“did lia believe it?” you asked. minho smirked.

“totally,” he told you, “according to changbin she wouldn’t shut up about it, but then the whole throwing up thing happened..”. you smacked your face with your hand.

“what am i going to do that video is so embarrassing,” you said.

“oh that's nothing, last year a video of jisung stripping completely naked surfaced,” minho told you. you shivered at the thought of a video of yourself stripping being spread without your consent. “besides its only spreading because i mean, who would expect you to be at bang’s party,” minho said.

“was it really that big of a deal?” you asked. minho nodded.

“look, this crowd of typical college kids know when theres someone new, let alone someone who’s already known around campus for films,” minho answered. there was an uncomfortable silence between the two of you.

“so uh, what now?” you asked.

“well i guess we have to make some more exclusive meetings now that the words out,” minho replied. 

“so dinner?” you suggested. 

“sure,” minho said.

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unsurprisingly, you arrived first to the local restaurant on campus. though it wasnt uncommon, minho was slightly late, but it had already been 15 minutes. you sighed as you checked your phone, expecting a text message saying he was caught up in something, but to no avail, nothing. suddenly you heard someone knock on the table. “minho- oh, uh chris,” you said, looking up at the bleach blonded man.

“fancy seeing you here, y/n, lee leaving you waiting?” he asked you.

“well not really, im actually here early,” you lied. 

“mind if i take a seat?” he asked, motioning to the booth seat in front of you. 

“i- uh- yeah sure?” you replied. he chuckled.

“you sound scared, i’m just taking a seat until your boyfriend gets here, someone’s got to look over the pretty ladies,” chris said flirtatiously. you let out an awkward chuckle. “so, you and minho, how did you two meet?” he asked you. you quickly tried to think of a lie.

“uh, highschool,” you answered. chris looked at you suspiciously.

“lee didn’t go to our highschool,” he stated. 

“okay well- wait what? our school?” you questioned.  he turned his head slightly.

“do you not remember me?” he started, “we were in the same home economics class.”. you sat there and thought about it. suddenly you gasped.

“bang chan?!” you exclaimed. he giggled.

“yeah, i don't go by chan anymore, just chris,” chris told you, “i actually was wondering if you’d do me a favor and keep it between us?”. you nodded.

“of course, im just embarrassed i didn’t recognize you earlier,” you told him.

“no it's okay, most people didn’t or don’t, but i was more shocked when i heard your name spring around,” he explained.

“yeah well, that makes two of us, i never expected my films to get much praise,” you replied.

“i could, i still remember that jackson guy having you edit is student president video,” he said.

“you remember that?! don't speak of my dark past,” you said. you both laughed and smiled at each other.

“could i maybe have your number? maybe we could do some good old high school reminiscing together?” chris asked. you nodded. 

“yeah of course,here hand me your phone,” you said. you took chris’ phone and typed your number when someone cleared their throat. you both looked up to minho. you handed chris back his phone. 

“bang, would you mind telling me why you’re talking to my girlfriend?” minho questioned chris.

“i was just leaving actually,” chris said, standing up from the booth. chris walked away, and minho watched as he left. minho sighed before taking a seat where chris once sat.

“he didnt do anything right?” he asked. you shook your head.

“no uh, he was just asking some basic questions about us,” you answered. minho sort of looked off for a moment, you felt like he wanted to know more, but knew he wasn’t going to ask. “anyway, you’re late, like way late,” you stated.

“i know im sorry,” he replied. you sighed.

“it’s fine i guess,” you said. minho reached for your hands across the table and lightly squeezed. something about it, despite you knowing it was an act, felt so nice. it felt, right, to be with minho at that moment, and undoubtedly minho really wasn’t that bad of a guy. he seemed to care deeply about whether or not you were comfortable with specific things or whether you were safe. but part of you just thought that it was minho being a decent human being, and you curse yourself for setting your standards in men so low. “chris seems, nice enough, why do you guys hate each other so much?” you asked. minho didnt answer.

“its not important, really,” minho began, “we just don’t mesh i guess.”. you decided not to push more. you looked up from minho, and spotted some girls a few tables down looking at you and minho. “are they looking?” he asked. you nodded. he smirked. “great, surely they’ll tell all their little friends,” he responded.

“hopefully,” you responded. 

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“you’re dating who?!” hyunjin exclaimed. you quickly shushed him. 

“not so loud jinnie, it’s still a library,” you replied, “plus i thought the rumor would have spread by now.”. 

“i mean yeah, but i just assumed it was fake, y’know never took you as minho’s type,” he stated. you sighed.

“well, uh, i am so,” you said. hyunjin wrinkled his eye brows and leaned in. 

“you’re totally fibbing,” hyunjin wh 

“pshh what?” you stated loudly. you flushed at your sudden burst before clearing your throat, “i mean, what? why would i lie about that,” you said. hyunjin chuckled and crossed his arms.

“i don’t know maybe to convince the board you have a reason to stay at miroh,” hyunjin said flatly. you sighed.

“okay,” you admitted.

“seriously?” he asked. you nodded in shame.

“but look, it’s just until stay college can view my film,” you told him. 

“now everything makes sense, the secrecy, the parties,” he started listing.

“look, but you can’t tell anyone, not even his friends know,” you explained. hyunjin zipped his lips.

“your secret is safe with me,” he stated. someone cleared their throat behind you and hyunjin, startling you both. you turned around and to your horror met eye contact with chaeryeong. 

“woah! chaer! didn’t- uh, see you there!” you said nervously.

“i heard everything,” she said softly. you looked at hyunjin terrified. 

“well, uh, y/n and i were just talking about a film she’s making right?” hyunjin lied. you nodded.

“and the film includes y/n fake dating minho?” she asked. you looked at her pleadingly.

“chaer look i can explain-”

“im not going to say anything, even if the other girls knew, we all know lia needs to get over him,” she stated.

“thank you thank you thank you!” you exclaimed.

“i actually came over to talk to you, like a friend maybe?” she asked. hyunjin looked at you warningly.

“why?” you asked.

“someone has to make sure lia doesn’t make your life a living hell, and you’re gonna need someone besides minho to have your back,” she said.

“i have her back!” hyunjin exclaimed.

“okay, but you’re a guy, she needs some girl advice,” chaeryeong said, “and you don’t exactly run with our crowd.”. hyunjin sighed.

“i suppose,” he replied dramatically.

“hyunjin you can’t ‘suppose’ things for me! but either way, what would you get out of this chaer?” you asked.

“nothing other than lia getting over minho and a cool new film friend,” she said. you thought about it, chaeryeong is a super nice girl. out of all of the girls she had the friendliest aura. 

“alright,” you said.

before you knew it, you were back in jisung’s car with minho and his other friends. chaeryeong had given you a warning about this party earlier, so it was no surprise when you received the text from minho. this party seemed even crazier just from the outside. minho gripped your hand. “promise you won’t go drinking by yourself again,” minho said. you nodded.

“i won’t,” you replied.

“love birds come on!” changbin called. the house was trashed, and there were plenty of people dry humping and making out in clear sight. you don’t know when but at some point you stood there and stared at your surroundings, and it was then you realized you had lost minho. not only minho, but changbin, jisung, nor seungmin were nowhere to be found. you quickly took out your phone to text one of the four, but a familiar voice called to you.

“y/n? lee brought you along again?” chris said. you looked up at the familiar man. you nodded.

“yeah but haven’t the slightest clue where he went this time,” you said. 

“he left a lady like you unattended?” he asked you.

“oh no! i uh, i actually left on accident and i-”

“relax, y/n, i was just messing with you,” chris told you. you chuckled nervously.

“right,” you said. chris gave you an endearing smile, which sent slight butterflies to your stomach. 

“so, you know who hosting this party?” he asked you. you shook your head. “you’d be shocked to know this is mark lee’s place,” he said. 

“mark lee still lives around here?” you asked.

“apparently, he invited me actually,” he added. 

“he was probably shocked to see bang chan with an amazing build to,” you said. you then realized what you said. “oh my god did i just say that im so sorry-” chris laughed at your mess up.

“its alright, besides, nice to know you think i have a nice build,” chris flirted. okay so maybe you knew you shouldn’t be flirting with bang chan, or chris bang or whatever everyone called him. but it couldn’t hurt right? it’s not like you and minho were actually dating. but something about him was so…relaxing. he felt like someone you could spend time with and have meaningful conversations with you. 

“y/n! there you are! we’re playing truth or dare in- oh, hello there bang,” minho said, placing a hand on your shoulder.

“truth or dare? what is this middle school?” you asked minho.

“pretty common at these parties, lee, you didn’t tell y/n about one of the traditions at mark lee’s parties?” chris asked minho. 

“well i didn’t think it was that important, some of us have other priorities than just partying, bang,” minho replied.

“ouch you really think that lowly of me, lee?” chris said, putting his hand over his heart.

“actually, bang, i would like to know why you are talking to my girlfriend,” minho stated snarkely.

“okay so truth or dare why dont we just go babe!” you told minho, calming him down before he started something. minho wrapped an arm around you, before he turned the two of you away from chris. minho leaned into your ear.

“i wouldn’t hang around him much, y/n, not unless you’re with one of us,” minho told you.

“why he seems alright?” you replied confused.

“just take my word for it,” minho said. you sighed. soon you found yourself ina room surrounded by a mixture of people you’d met and not met, and of course lia and her friends were there. you made eye contact with chaeryeong and grinned. “alright why dont we get started,” minho announced to the room. you and minho took a seat next to each other on a couch. 

“minho you didn’t tell me your lady was y/n,” mark lee said.

“hello to you again mark,” you replied.

“you know mark lee?” minho asked you. you nodded.

“don’t worry about it,” you stated. for once minho didn’t push for more info, and the game began. it was a typical drinking game with the occasional sexual request. honestly, it seemed everyone in the room had forgotten you’d existed until it got to mark.

“so y/n and minho, you two are an item, right?” mark asked. 

“yes,” minho answered.

“but yet i’ve yet to see you two have any action like you and lia,” mark told minho.

“why should we have to?” minho asked.

“i’m just saying maybe you don’t like y/n that much,” mark stated. ouch. okay maybe you weren’t actually dating but that did tang your feelings a bit.

“mark, me and y/n are none of your business,” minho said.

“besides we don’t need to flaunt that we like each other to everyone,” you retorted. 

“then why don’t you prove it?” mark asked.

“what? lee this is obviously ridiculous,” minho said. 

“no i don’t think so,” lia added, “you and i had our fun didnt we?”. lia looked at you after saying this.

“y/n i dare you to get on minho’s lap and make out with him,” mark told you.

“mark why are you so obs-”

“alright,” you replied confidently. you got up from your seat before draping yourself on top of minho. you leaned your head in and touched his forehead. minho looked at you with shocked eyes.

“are you sure?” he wh you nodded, and as soon as you gave him permission, minho wrapped his arms around your shoulders and leaned in to kiss you. everyone in the roomed seemed to ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ but honestly you drowned it out. minho took the lead, and even wrapped his arms around your waist. minho dominated you completely. unconsciously, you grinded against minho’s abdomen, feeling a surge of excitement down below. minho slowly pulled his face back. without realizing it you whispered softly:

“wow,”. suddenly you stood up and took your seat next to minho.

♥｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡♥｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡♥｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡♥｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ・。゜♥｡ﾟ♡ﾟ

finally the night seemed over, and minho was driving you home. “y/n, have you ever done that before?” he asked you.

“done what?” you asked back.

“you know…making out,” he stated. you blushed a little bit.

“um, no,” you replied. minho inhaled sharply.

“y/n…have you ever kissed anyone before?” he implored. you paused before answering. 

“i uh well i-”

“don’t tell me i was your first kiss,” minho said.

“i won’t then,” you replied.

“y/n,” he said, “you could have said no.”.

“its okay! it was just a kiss right? i mean im not 15 anymore minho,” you told him. minho bit the inside of his cheek. you could tell something about this had bothered him. you weren’t so sure why, it’s not like minho had that much of a conscience anyway. 

“well you also said at the begining of this no kissing,” he sreplied.

“we were in a circumstance where it was needed,” you said. honestly, you had forgotten there were rules to this arrangement. you didnt want to say it out loud, but you’d grown used to the arrangement. used to people calling you minho’s girlfriend, or vise versa depending on the person. 

there was one rule that was bothering you. you’d never had sex. like period. masturbation, maybe, but you never really tried it. once you got home that night you tossed and turned, possibly trying to sleep, but you could only think about minho’s lips. you feel slightly ashamed to be having this naughty thoughts, secretly wishing minho would trace his hands down your body. and as you started to imagine, you found yourself copying these actions. minho using his lips to gentle kiss down your body until finally reaching your aching core and then- you heard a knock at your door. you got up, flushed a little from what you were about to do, and left your bedroom. you opened the door to see minho. “minho what are you doing here?” you asked him.

“i don’t think we should do this anymore,” he told you. 

“wait what? why?” you asked.

“it’s gone too far,” he said, “you’re breaking the rules you set for my own gain, plus we’ve yet to do anything that will benefit you.”. you thought for a moment about what minho was saying.

“you promised me two months, the board hasn’t even changed their mind about my funds,”  you stated, “plus if you want to do something for me, we can go to the film fair tomorrow, our school is hosting it.”.

“are you serious?!” he exclaimed excitedly. 

“yeah it’s whatever, i can just uninvite hyunjin,” you said, “plus the head of the film department will be there, surely seeing us will make some sort of change.”. minho grinned.

“great,” he said.

you waiting for minho’s text saying he was outside the next day. the film fair was one of your favorite events of the year, before the whole holding back your funds thing. it was a great time to get feedback and other techniques from fellow directors. originally you were going to take hyunjin, you guys typically went every year, but you figured taking minho with you this one time would not be too big of a deal.

[minnie: im outside

you smiled at the message before stepping out and getting into his car. “is this outfit okay?” he asked you. you chuckled. “what?” he asked.

“it’s just here you are asking me if what you’re wearing is appropriate for a film fair,” you repleid.

“i’ve - uh, i’ve never been to one,” he admitted. 

“obviously, stop being so nervous it’s just like going to a festival,” you assured him. 

“hey don’t make fun of me!” he pouted.

“okay mr. popular, let’s get to the fair,” you said. the fair was as busy as ever, and a part of you was excited to just show minho around. you led him to the screening theatre, where you watched many films, but one in particular played that seemed to change the vibe between you two. film was art, and often directors and script writers include things from personal lives, what you weren’t expecting was for a sex scene to begin playing. minho glanced over at you, biting his lip slightly before turning back. you were incredibly focused on the camera angles and how the director was able to get a cinematic look at the scene, but minho could only be reminded of last night. he assumed you just didn’t noticed how much making out with you affected him, he fought back a lot of impulses to just pin you down right then and there. the thought of you unconsciously grinding against him desperately turned him on in a way he’d never been before. the thought of how unknowing you were when it came to relationships was attractive to minho in a way, it was almost like he could corrupt you by himself. “minho?” you called. minho shook his head from his thoughts.

“yeah?” he asked.

“i’m sorry, is this boring?” you replied.

“no! no! i was just spacing out, you know,” he answered. you got up and grabbed his hand.

“let’s go see other things! plus i need to make sure we’re seen by the other professors!” you exclaimed. minho nodded and gripped your hand back, following you. the two of you were walking around the festival until you were stopped by another student holding a camera. 

“could i snap a photo of you two? it’s for the school’s newspaper,” the student requested. you turned your head towards minho who nodded that it was alright. 

“sure!” you answered. 

“alright now pose!” he told you and minho. you leaned your head towards minho as the picture was taken. “hmm, i'm not sure if this is the shot i’m looking for, could we maybe be a bit more romantic, like maybe a kiss or something?” he asked. you looked at minho nervously.  minho saw your worried look.

“uh, maybe not,” he answered.

“c’mon! just a peck on the cheek?” the photographer asked. 

“okay,” you answered, without really asking minho beforehand.

“alright now 3-” you closed your eyes, getting ready to give minho a peck on the cheek. “2-” you leaned in, “1!” expecting to feel minho’s cheek against your lips, instead you met minho’s lips. the two of you looked at each other with wide eyes before quickly pulling away from each other. “aww, now that’s a cute one! thanks you two!” the photographer said, quickly walking away from the two of you, probably so you couldn’t deny the picture being used. 

“y/n- i’m so sor-”

“miss l/n!” a professor called. not just any professor, but your film super visor. dr. han was the main person in charge of whether or not you could get funds for your big film. 

“oh hi there dr. han! fancy seeing you, the film advisor, at our local college film festival,” you said awkwardly, knowing he just witnessed you and minho’s accidental kiss a second ago.

“yes, fancy it is miss l/n..i was rather surprised you didn’t submit a film this time around,” dr. han commented. bullshit. he knows exactly why. 

“oh i’m just saving up for film equipment!” you said. minho looked at dr. han and back at you. minho had only really heard rumors about dr. han and how strict and intimidating he is. he also could see through dr. han’s bullshit as well as you could. it was pretty obvious there was a hint of tension between you and the professor. and not the good, sexual, kind. the kind that was between him and chris kind of tension. 

“and who’s this that you’re with?” dr. han asked.

“oh this is-”

“lee minho, y/n’s boyfriend! so night to meet you dr. han, y/n has told me so much about how you’ve helped her and her films!” minho interjected. dr. han looked at minho suspiciously.

“ah yes, mr. lee, i believe i’ve heard some students mention you two are new item,” the professor said to minho. minho didn’t like dr. han. he decided this right there. why would  a professor be so invested in rumors around the college? minho put his arm around you and laughed awkwardly.

“yeah, i guess we have been pretty open about our relationship, right y/n?” minho asked you.

“yeah, sorry you had to see me in such a casual way professor,” you apologized.

“oh its no problem, students should be free to…express however they want,” dr. han said. there was an awkward silence that followed his sentence.

“well, minho and i have other film festival things to see, it was nice seeing you dr. han!” you said, taking minho’s arm off your shoulder, and grabbing it to walk away. 

“that’s the ass that’s withholding your funds?” minho asked. you sighed.

“yeah, but he’s probably the one guy i have to get through to get my funds. so it’s priority that he knows we’re dating. thank you for the save,” you told him, “either way is there anything else you’d like to see, i come to this festival like every year so.”. 

“what’s your favorite thing at this festival?” minho asked you. you thought about your answer for a bit.

“okay, its boring though,” you answered.

“i don’t care,” he said. you smiled, you realized you were still holding minho’s arm, and let go. 

“okay follow me!” you exclaimed

♥｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡♥｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡♥｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡♥｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ・。゜♥｡ﾟ♡ﾟ

you took your id out of your bag, and used it against the photo lab’s door. “this isn’t apart of the festival,” minho commented.

“no, but since everyone is at the festival no one is gonna come in here, also it’s so much quieter in here,” you replied, opening the door to the dark room. the two of you walked in and minho let out a quiet ‘wow’. you looked at the slight red rays against minho’s face with a smile while he stood astonished at the room.

“what is this place?” he asked. 

“dark room, it’s used to process film,” you answered. minho looked at all the processing images around him, before turning back to you. you walked over to a clear empty table, typically used to set your things down before doing anything else in the room. you pushed your self up before taking a seat. “i love this place, i mean i don’t think i’ve used it since freshman year, and since the first award winning film i made,” you said, “i’m sorry i’m talking too much aren’t i, i’ll just-”

“no no! i-,” minho started, “i like hearing what you like.”. minho stood in front of you, the two of you staring into each other's eyes. you hadn’t noticed it before, but his eyes were this almost black tone, which made the lights reflecting off of them look like mini stars. there was a silence between you two, it was comfortable though. minho brought a hand up to your cheek and rubbed his thumb against it. 

“minho,” you called. he hummed, removing his hand, but you quickly reach for it to go back. his skin was incredibly soft for a college man, let alone one like minho who you assumed couldn’t have a skin routine. you rubbed your thumb across his hand before he put his forehead against yours.

“can i kiss you?” he whispered.

“please,” you answered. and for the first time, minho kissed you. not like for show, but really kissed you. this kiss felt different, it was definitely real, but it was also heavy. eventually this one kiss turned into another, and then another, until finally the two of you were making out. you spread your legs, allowing minho to stand between them as he continued kissing you. minho eventually moved from your lips to your neck, and the sudden contact made you let out a mewl. he pulled back.

“is this okay, y/n?” he asked. 

“more than okay, please just- don’t stop,” you begged. minho smirked, hearing your request turned minho on more than he’d like to admit. his demeanor changed from an intimate one to a much darker, and sexier one. he began to suck on different parts of your neck, above your collarbone, under your jaw, your jaw line, really anywhere he could. “min please,” you said. he stopped kissing, and looked directly into your eyes. the once star filled eyes were full of determination and want.

“please what baby?” he asked. the low tone of his voice when he said the pet name sent electricity immediately down to your core.

“please more,” you said. minho chuckled as he reached for the hem of your shirt. you lifted our arms up, allowing him to easily take it off. he placed a kiss on your forehead. 

“aww pretty baby, has anyone ever seen you like this?” he questioned. you shook your head. he pressed his lips on your chest, just above your breasts. 

“no one, just you minnie,” you told him. he pampered your chest and collarbone area in kisses. 

“you’re so innocent baby,” minho commented. you groaned at what he said. “what? am i wrong?” he joked with you. he then started kissing your stomach and lower abdomen. you could feel yourself getting hotter. 

“minho please touch me,” you requested.

“touch you where?” he asked. you whined.

“you know where please,” you continued. he smirked, and grabbed your cheek.

“here?”, you shook your head, he moved his hand to your chest, “maybe here?”, you once again shook your head, and in response minho for once moved his hands to your inner thighs, “here baby?” but before you could answer, minho moved your skirt up and made contact with your clothed core, “is this where you want minnie to touch you?” he asked. you nodded. he chuckled again, and started rubbing gentle circles around your panties. “i bet you’ve thought about this,” he started, “you’ve touched yourself wishing it was my hand haven’t you, y/n.”. you nodded to minho’s statement. you subconsciously began to grind against his hand and minho brought his other hand to your shoulders. “patience baby, minnie will make you feel all sorts of good, you just need to wait,” he told you. you whined. he then moved his hands to the sides of your hip and gently pulled down your panties. “you’re so wet for me y/n,” he said, suddenly bringing a finger between the lips of your pussy. he rubbed up and down before circling your clit. 

“min,” you moaned.

“what?” he asked. 

“please put those inside of me please,” you begged. minho smiled.

“so demanding for someone who's never done this before,” he said.

“minho i need you please,” you told him. minho gentle moved the same finger circling your clit into your pussy. you moaned at the contact immediately, this felt way better than your own fingers. minho set a steady pace before his thumb began rubbing you clit. “fuck-” you let out.

“does it feel good baby?” he asked you.

“yes-s-so good,” you answered him. 

“good girl, your hole is so tight, do you think it could take another finger?” he asked. you nodded urgently. minho added another finger, this time his movements speeding up. it was embarrassing to you, as you felt an oh too familiar knot form in your stomach. you instinctively began grinding against his hand. upon noticing this, he removed his hand from your pussy. he then put both fingers in his mouth and let them out with a pop. you whined at the sight.

“h-hey! why did you stop?” you asked. 

“because i want to taste your cum first hand,” he answered. the statement sent shivers down your entire body. just his fingers alone had you cumming after mere minutes, the idea of his tongue exploring your entire private had your heart beating at a million miles a minute. minho wrapped his arms around your back, and pulled you forward on the table. he then leaned in and kissed you passionately,even sucking on your bottom lip before letting go. “are you ready?” he asked you. you nodded eagerly. minho then got on his knees and used his hands on your inner thighs to spread you out some more.”stay still for me baby,” he told you. you nodded. minho then dived straight into it, lapping your lower lips.he sucked on your clit,causing you let out an embarrassingly loud moan from how good it felt. minho’s tongue then entered your entrance, and licked our walls surrounding it. once again, it wasn’t long before you came on minho’s tongue. 

“fuck minho oh my god i’m so sorry-”

“no don't apologize, that was so hot baby,” he assured you. he pulled your panties back up, and you grabbed his arm.

“minho please i want to make you feel good too,” you told him.

“y/n, you really don’t have to, i don’t want to take all your first time’s away from you,” he said. you used both your hands to grab his right hand.

“please minho, please let me suck your cock,” you begged. 

“fuck y/n, you’re so intoxicating,” minho admitted. minho gently picked you up off of the table and made you stand against the table. he then unbuttoned his pants, and unzipped his zipper. you easily sunk down to be at level with his member, and pulled his boxers down releasing his erected cock. you looked back up at minho as you wrapped your hand around his shaft. “don’t look at me like that,” minho said to you.

“like what?” you asked.

“like you’re waiting for my permission,” he answered. 

“no i’m not i just…i don’t really know what to do,” you admitted. minho brushed his hand through is hair.

“okay, i’ll teach you,” he told you, “first grab it with both your hands, but not too tight, okay baby?”. you nodded, and moved your hands accordingly. he hissed at the contact of your hands and his member. “now start moving back and forth,” he instructed. you then followed suit, starting at a slow but steady pace. minho let out a breathy moan. you movd you hands up and down minho’s shaft for a few moments before he lightly pushed you away. 

“what happened?” you asked him.

“y/n…i’m sorry i can’t do this to you, not now at least,” he told you. you putted lightly.

“why not?” you replied.

“you need to have your first time with someone you actually like, not just someone like me,” he explained. he got up, zipped his pants before holding your right hand gesturing you to get up from your knees. “c’mon, let me drop you off,” he said. you shook your head.

“nah i uh, i’ll stay here a little while, you can go, i’ll catch a ride from hyunjin or the bus,” you added. he nodded. 

“text me when you get home okay?” he asked. you nodded, and with that you watch minho leave you in the dark room, with all the processing photos there to watch minho walk away from you.

♥｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡♥｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡♥｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡♥｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ・。゜♥｡ﾟ♡ﾟ

by all accounts,everything that happened the day before felt wrong, but minho couldn’t quite understand why. he’d messed around with girls since he started college and felt nothing. he messed around with lia for a while and honestly, he wished he could feel guilt. but you were different. the thing about sex to minho is that it has lost all meaning to him. with you, it almost felt better, like there was some true feelings behind it. it scared him in a way. he’d never really felt this way about anyone before. sure he’s had girlfriends, and sure he’s had sex, but with you, he secretly hoped this fake dating thing could possibly be a forever thing. the truth is though, that he knows it has to end eventually. and he’s terrified that if anything more happened yesterday you’d turn into all the other girls he’d fucked. he’d get what he wanted from your body, and then you’d be uninterested, or worse he’d be uninterested. he liked the way his stomach felt when he saw you. he liked the way you talked passionately about films and their directors. he liked that you showed him a secret room that you went to for tranquility. he liked you. maybe even more than that, but he’d never voice that. not when he knows you don’t feel the same way. you would never like someone like minho. aside from your reputation of being a film director, those who had spoken to you could attest that you weren’t just someone that casually dated. infact he can’t remember if you’d even mentioned dating someone before. oh god. you haven’t dated before. minho is all you’ve ever known. and he knows he’s not the greatest option-

“hello, earth to minho?” jisung said. minho shook his head free of his thoughts. 

“what were you talking about?” he asked his friend. jisung sighed.

“you’ve been like this all day, what’s going on?” jisung asked.

“oh nothing,” minho lied.

“is it something with y/n? i know you’re not used to these kinds of situations,” jisung told him. minho shook his head.

“no it’s nothing, really,” minho insisted, “just class work.”. jisung looked at minho, as if he knew minho was lying. jisung chose to move on from the topic knowing minho would  probably not tell him anything more.

“well anyway, lia is hosting a party tonight, it’s gonna be a big deal, and she wanted me to tell you you were free to go,” jisung repeated.

“cool, i’ll tell y/n, she’ll love to experience something other than bang’s parties,” minho said.

“i don’t know, lia didn’t mention if you could bring y/n,” jisung replied.

“well i’m bringing her anyway,” minho stated. he opened his phone to text you, but he suddenly remembered his thoughts from earlier. in the past sending you a text was simple but now he’s self-aware of every word he uses to send you a message. he would start typing, only to have to retype the message.

you jumped at the sound of your text notification going off. you hate to admit it, but you’d been waiting all day for minho to text you. after last night's events you’ve had a lot of thoughts. to be honest your main concern was whether or not minho would end your deal. but you couldn’t end the deal, you’ve yet to receive an email about your funds and i mean that was totally the only reason. not because you feared the two of you would never talk again after the deal.

[minho: there’s a party at lia’s…are you good with going?

[y/n: yeah totally! what time would you pick me up?

[minho: probably 8ish

you glanced at the clock. it was 1, which meant you had  7 hours. 7 hours was enough time to talk to chaeryeong before hand.

♥｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡♥｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡♥｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡♥｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ・。゜♥｡ﾟ♡ﾟ

you were on your own. chaeryeong responded to your text saying she was cramming that night for a test tomorrow. minho and you entered together but he was quickly distracted by his friends and other party activities. “oh hey y/n,” a female voice called. you recognized the voice to be yeji’s, another one of lia’s friends that you’ve met before.

“uh, hi,” you answered.

“minho leave you lonely again?” she asked you.

“oh, no, i just prefer navigating these things on my own,” you lied. you couldn’t let these girls see that they were getting to you. you made a promise to yourself that you wouldn’t let that happen. 

“you should join us, lia is having some select people to play some drinking games in her guest room, you should join,” she told you. your initial reaction was to say no, but the thought of pissing lia off was very appealing. you smiled.

“yeah lead the way,” you replied. yeji led you upstairs to the room this drinking game was being played. once you reached the room you immediately noticed that minho was nowhere to be found. everyone sat in a circle, a beer bottle in the center. you’ve seen enough movies to know what this is. someone spins the bottle and the two on the ends end up doing something. yeji handed you a shot glass.

“it’s fireball, trust me, this game is a lot more fun when you’re drunk,” she told you. she also appeared to have a shot, but she was waiting for you to drink yours. you were a tiny bit hesitent, but a shot surely couldn’t hurt? you quickly then took the shot. it was probably the grossest and strongest thing you’ve tasted, but after the unnecessary anxiety the past couple of days, you culdn’t lie that the rush of alchohol felt nice. yeji and you sat in the circle before another friend of their’s, yuna, was in th center.

“let’s stat the game shall we?” yuna asked. the room cheered as she set her hand on the empty beer bottle. 

a couple rounds had passed, and by the grace of god, you had yet to go. you had learned that the punishment was for the two people on the ends of the bottle had to make out for at least a minute. you felt a little tipsy from the shot earlier, but nothing more. suddenly, lia appeared in the center and said, “seeing as it’s my party, i think i have a right to spin the bottle,”. you knew this could not be good. lia spun the bottle and as the bottle spun “mysteriously” her foot tapped the glass, leading you to be one of the players. “oops!” lia said. you looked up and met eyes with chris. oh thank god. you had made your way over to him, and boldly sat on his lap. it felt wrong. i mean it’s not like you and minho were really dating right? it’s not cheating right? but that didn’t matter. you were determined to prove lia wrong. about what, you didn’t know but this gme was now in your court. 

“y/n you-”

“shh,” you cut chris off, “it’s just a game right?”. you smashed your lips against his, not quite sure how to make out you sort of tried sucking on chris’ bottom lip as minho sucked on yours merely 24 hours ago. tons of squeals, and ooo’s and ahh’s were heard until they abruptly ended by a dead silence. you broke the kiss only to see minho was right beside you, and suddenly he threw a hard punch at chris, pushing chris backwards. 

“this is some stupid game, lia, grow the fuck up and get over it. i’m not leaving y/n. especially not for you. and bang, keep your hands to yourself and think twice before touching my girlfriend ever again.” minho stated coldly. minho grabbed your hand, sort of forcing you to stand up. “we’re leaving. let’s go, babe,” he said, leading you out of the room. 

♥｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡♥｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡♥｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡♥｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ・。゜♥｡ﾟ♡ﾟ

the car ride back to your apartment was silent. you felt bad. you hadn’t thought it was personal, honestly, but you felt bad. minho put his car in park as he found a space at your apartments. “minho i-” you were quickly cut off by his lips pressed against yours. this kiss was very different from the warm and heavy from the day before, this one was needy and demanding. you kissed back, of course, and attempted to continue the kiss, but minho let go. 

“god you are so insatiable, do you know that?” he told you, “do you know how badly it’s taking everything in me not to just devour you right here, right now.”.

“then do it,” you stated. minho sighed.

“i can’t,” he said.

“why not?”

“becuase it’s you..”

“what’s that supposed to mean? is there something wrong with me?”

“no and thats the problem!”

“i’m not following,”

“do i need to spell it out for you, y/n?”

“maybe?”

“i like you. like like you. this isn’t fake to me anymore.” he admitted. a silence flooded the car. he sighed and leaned his head against the head rest. “i like you, y/n, and you don’t have to feel the same way, we can end this now if you want. i broke my own damn rule,” he said. you wereat a loss of words. maybe because a boy has never confessed to you like this, hell a boy has never confessed to you. “i’m sor-”

“i mean the rule was that i can’t fall for you, not that you couldn’t fall for me,” you said. minho laughed.

“okay whatever, can you please say something back to my confession that’s serious,” he asked.

“oh, oh, i like you too minho. i guess i broke your rule,” you replied. minho chuckled.

“i think this is the most awkward confession i’ve experienced, now can i please kiss you, as your boyfriend?” he asked.

“i mean you were already-” minho cut you off with a hushed kiss. this kiss was like the first, warm, sweet, genuine. he tried to pull away, but you wrapped your arms around his neck. he began to kiss somewhat harsher, demandingly. you could feel yourself become aroused just by his kiss. minho let go.

“i need to have you, baby,” he said. you nodded and the two of you got out of his car. as soon as you were inside your apartment, minho pressed you against the door, pressing his lips against yours harsher than before. he grabbed both of your wrists and held them above your head as he continued to kiss you, eventually kiss your shoulders and your neck and underneath your jaw. “i need you to tell me you’re okay with this, because once i start i will not stop unless you say a safe word,” he told you.

“safe word?” you asked.

“its a word you’ll say if you’re ever uncomfortable and we need to stop,” he answered.

“bunny?” you said.

“perfect,” he replied, before undoing your pant buttons. he rubbed your core through your panties, and you let out a whimper. “what’s wrong baby?” he asked.

“i need you,” you said.

“fuck, y/n, you cannot just be saying that or else i’ll need to fuck you right here,” he replied. you whined at his statement. “what? is something wrong?” he asked, genuinely.

“no, nothing is wrong it’s just, you’re so hot,” you told him.

“such a desperate little baby, getting turned on just by my words,” he said, “i’m going to make you my little baby, you’d like that wouldn’t you? would you like to be minnie’s little cum whore?”. he then put his hand down your panties, rubbing his pointer finger over your clit. 

“f-fuck,” you let out in a whisper. 

“i know you like my fingers more than that, be loud for me baby,” minho instructed. suddenly he inserted two of his fingers into your core. he moved at a steady pace, one that wasn’t too fast or too slow. “god you’re so tight,” he commented to himself. 

“m-min i-i’m-”

“don’t.” he told you, “trust me i can feel how tight you are, but tonight i want you cum on something else.”.

“wh-what?” you said. minho removed his fingers from your dripping cunt. minho picked you up and walked towards your bedroom. he sat you on the edge, took off your pants and panties, then, grabbing your  thighs he pushed your core to his face and immediately began lapping at your pussy. you brought your hands down to grip minho’s locks as he went down on you. “minnie oh shit– that feels so good,” you said. he huffed against you as a response. suddenly, you felt fingers entering you again, this time at a much faster rate. you felt like this was cloud 9. nothing could feel better than this moment. “min- i-i can’t hold it anymore please,” you begged. minho suddenly pushed away, and ou whined at the loss of contact. he pulled down his pants and you could see his length through his boxers. it was practically begging to be freed. minho ran his fingers through his hair. 

“do you have any condoms?” he asked you. you remembered you had a few in your drawer, some for safe keeping. minho walked towards your bed side drawer and took the condom out. he ripped it open and pulled down his boxers. his member sprung, and seemed to be slightly wet from his own pre-cum. he pumped himself a few times before he put on the condom. he then came back and leaned over you. “are you sure you’re okay with this?” he asked. you nodded your head. you took your right hand and gently held his cheek.

“more sure than i’ve ever been,” you answered. and with that, minho took your hand and held it, intertwining your hands.

“alright, now this may hurt a little baby, but i promise i’ll make you feel so good. please just say your safe word if you want to stop.”. you nodded. minho rubbed his member between your lips, using your wetness as lube. he then aligned himself to your opening, and slowly inserted himself in. you squeezed minho’s hand at the slightest pinch you felt from his cock entering you. minho slowly inserted himself inch by inch, until finally he bottomed out, causing him to let out a moan. “god your pussy is amazing, are you okay sweetheart?” he asked.

“yes minnie,” you started, you could feel yourself clench all of the sudden, “please move.”.

“of course, i’m gonna use this pussy as my personal pocket,” he answered you. he then brought himself out before entering again. minho began to thrust, each pump getting faster than the last. “g-god you’re tighter than i though, i could use your cunt all day,” he stated. you moaned at the thought causing minho to chuckle. “you like that huh? you want to be minnies little fuck toy?” he said. 

“y-yes please, just, don’t stop this feels so good,” you managed to let out. minho began a steady pace, similar to his fingers that was in between fast and slow. “min i feel it-”

“thats alright baby, cum on my cock. show minnie how good you feel, my sweet.” he said. you felt yourself unravel, letting out some curses and versions of minhos name. it wasn’t too long before minho came as well, cumming inside of his condom.

♥｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡♥｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡♥｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡♥｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ・。゜♥｡ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡♥｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡♥｡

when you woke up, you felt the warmth of minho’s arms around you. he smirked. “goodmorning sweetheart,” he said. you yawned.

“have you been watching me sleep?” you asked.

“don’t ruin the moment!” he said, “i just wanted to look at my perfect girlfriend.”. you loved hearing that come out of his mouth, genuinely. you snuggled yourself into his chest.

“i could just lay with you all day,” you said.

“is that so?” he replied. you nodded.

“i’m being so serious,” you repled. minho ran his fingers through your hair. 

“do you think you’ll get the funds to your film now?” he asked you.

“i’m not sure, not unless you released our sex tape publicly, but in that case it better not have been for free,” you answered. minho laughed, and you listened to the way his voice sounded with your ear pressed to his chest. 

a/n: i hoped you enjoyed it!! <3 thankss for reading.

Mr Gorgeous

pairing: Lee Minho x reader

genre: fluff, slight angst, crack, tutor Lee know, non-idol!au, college au, best friend Hyunjin, computer nerd Lee know

summary: As a chemical engineer with the biggest aversion to computer science it was nothing short of hell to try and pass the one elective you were forced to take. Things do change for the better when your friend suggests you get tutored by smart and hot Lee Minho. Maybe you'd do a lot more than just pass the subject... 

wordcount: 6.3k

a/n: This one is based on the unhinged but cute ideas my friend gives, hopefully, I did justice to that, and to Minho.

Regret.

That’s the primary emotion you feel right now. Sitting with your hands tugging at your hair in the corner of the computer science lab as you stare at the big blank screen… yet again.

Another ping and you look up to see yet another failure message popping on the screen of your laptop. It wasn’t brand new, or of high value, but this laptop was your lifeline. Not only did it hold all three years' worth of your undergrad life but it also holds the precious drafts of your latest hyper fixation- fanfics based on the forced marriage trope.

The downfall of the laptop itself wasn’t your primary concern now, it was the choices you made that led here. Well, it wasn’t exactly a choice. The course selection system of your uni might say “flexible” but it was anything but. Your mind replays a flashback from two months ago when you were seated in your dorm bed, hands tugging your hair like now, as you stare at the monstrosity that was the computer science elective you were forced to choose for the sake of credits.

Leading you right back to regret.

Just as you're about to break your laptop in a fit of pure frustration you feel a hand on your shoulder. Whipping your head back, with five retorts at the tip of your tongue (but ones that’ll never be said), you find yourself facing one of your closest friends. His feline eyes shone with kindness and his long blonde hair with fringes framing his spectacular face and the crisp white shirt that looks very out of place amongst his rarely-showered peers.

Hyunjin. The infamous dance team captain and the most wanted dude on campus, who somehow ended up as your roommate's dance partner back in freshman year and is now a big part of your gang. He was the reason for whatever little popularity you had on campus.

“Are you alright?”

“Hi yeah, I-I’m fine… I guess…” you sigh, giving up on your hair and point to the screen. “I don’t know what the hell I’m doing and my laptop just gave up on me.”

He gives you a sad smile, not one of pity and you’re grateful for it. “Ahh, the computers have defeated our great y/n I see...” His tone is slightly lighter this time when he speaks. You nod furiously as he settles down on an empty chair next to you. His hand has moved from your shoulder to fidgeting with the armrests.

“Yeah I absolutely hate- no loathe computers. I mean, I fought with my parents to do a chemical engineering degree just because I hate computers for god's sake. All that only to end up here in this damn course and I’ve managed to kill my laptop in the process of installing virtual machines. Actually why the hell do we even need those virtual machines? Isn’t everything that these machines produce essentially virtual… if you do need another device, just get one. Why do you computer science idiots go through all this hassle? I don’t-“, you pause mid-rant to see that he’s got an amused expression and the corners of his lips are lifted up.

“Ugh, please. Don’t laugh at my distress, you cruel man.” You whine and dramatically put your head on the desk in defeat.

"Aye y/n it's okay... I mean it will be..." Hyunjin tries to comfort but you just grunt in response and dig your head deeper into your arms on the desk.

You hear him sigh and shift closer to you.

"Alright, I'll tell you what... class is over now so we will give up for now and go have something to eat and replenish your brain. Then maybe I can tutor you, I am also in the class and I do understand this. Is that ok?"

You look up to see Hyunjin sitting beside you, lips pressed into a thin smile, eyes kind and empathetic. This version of him rarely comes out except with his few friends and you were usually grateful for that. But today you had no brain cells left to feel grateful.

"Yeah, sure! Do you plan on doing that before or during your morning dance practices or evening practice?" Your tone comes out sharp and sarcastic, which catches Hyunjin off guard.

You were almost always sarcastic but it was never more than a harmful joke and you never really lost your temple. In fact, you were very particular about staying silent unless you have something positive or funny to contribute to the conversation.

Hyunjin recovers fast from the shock, "Hey I was just offering... I was being nice. Don't bite my head off!"

You feel apologetic immediately and sigh. "Yeah sorry dude, I guess I need to eat. Are you still up to get lunch together?" You ask with a small smile.

"Yup!" He immediately agrees with a big grin and you begin packing your things.

"Hey, you sure one of your little fangirls and fanboys won't die of jealousy if they see just the two of us having lunch together?" You joke as you both head to the cafeteria.

He just rolls his eyes and both of you laugh it off.

Even though you knew about Hyunjin's popularity, it still feels weird for you to sit and watch almost the entire cafeteria stare in your direction. Rather in his direction. Trying your best to ignore it you continue eating your sales as Hyunjin talks about the latest gossip from the dance team.

Just as he was about to reach the juicy part, Hyunjin sees someone on the other end of the cafe and asks them to join. You whip your head around to see the source of your latest annoyance, ready to hate them in your head, only to find the most gorgeous man you had ever seen walk towards your table.

You've had one too many celebrity crushes in your day but you weren't usually the type to simp for a dude in real life- especially one from your university. Yet you find yourself unable to take your eyes off this guy. He's wearing a simple black T-shirt and a pair of joggers. His headphones are around his neck, and a black backpack hanging on his left shoulder. You watch his shirt cling to his shoulders and the way he keeps his eyes down as he walks. You keep watching as he runs a hand through his hair, messing it up just enough for it to look fluffy and good.

Taylor Swift definitely wrote Gorgeous for this man.

As he nears the table you finally gather all your self-control and turn back to your lunch. You chew on the food slowly and keep playing with the contents in your bowl, painfully aware of every step he takes toward the table.

"Hey Lino!" You hear Hyunjin exclaim as he gets up to hug the other guy.

"Hi Hyunjin." says the other guy- who apparently has a deep, yet soft voice that reminds you of honey melting.

You internally cringe at the weird tingly feeling this guy is making you feel.

You try to block out the conversation the two guys make, desperately hoping you wouldn't have to interact with Mr Gorgeous.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce you both. This is my friend y/n."

You look up at the mention of your name to find Hyunjin and him looking right at you. You smile, hoping the weird thoughts don't translate on your face.

"And y/n, this is Lee Minho. My classmate and dance teammate." Hyunjin says with a fond smile.

"Hey, y/n. Nice to finally meet you," says Mr Gorgeous in his honey-dripping voice as he reaches his hand out to you. You are frozen for a second but recover quickly to take his hands and shake them as you nod. You watch as he immediately takes his hand after a second of contact and clears his throat.

"Nice to meet you too Minho." you finally manage after the handshake that only made the butterflies worse. You pray silently that you don't ever have to speak to Minho again, a crush was not good for your health. Especially not a crush on your friend's very hot dance teammate.

Thankfully Minho almost immediately leaves, stating he has a class to attend and Hyunjin and you bid your byes and return to your lunches.

After a moment's silence, Hyunjin speaks again, "So what do you think about Minho?"

You cough as a lettuce piece gets stuck in your throat at his question and chug half a glass of water.

"Wha- what about him?" You ask in your most normal voice possible.

"I don't know... you tell me." Hyunjin says eyeing you cautiously.

"He's fine I guess." He scoffs. "He's way more than fine and we both know it." He says with a smirk.

"You're just a simp for the mysterious hot dudes who will never go for you."

"Ouch. But yeah. Plus all I can do is simp... he's not really into guys." Hyunjin says with a dramatic frown making you shake your head at his antics.

You were almost relieved when Hyunjin admitted to simping for Minho because then you would shut down the crush because you are a good friend. Every plan to squish this growing crush is backfiring on you now.

As you both finish your lunch and decide to go separate ways, Hyunjin stops in his tracks outside the cafeteria with a bright smile on his face. The face that usually means trouble for anyone involved- which is you currently.

"Oh my god! Y/n I just had the best idea." He practically squeals and you roll your eyes at him.

"I don't believe it will be good but you're gonna say it anyway so spill."

"Well you need a tutor to pass the computer course... and Minho is a top-of-the-class student who passed that subject a semester ago. What if he tutored you?"

Hyunjin looks like he hit the jackpot and your jaw hangs on the floor. Gulping you begin to explain why his idea won't work just as the door opens and out comes the man of the hour himself- Minho.

Hyunjin looks at Minho and his smile grows even wider.

"Lino I was just going to call you. I need a small favour from you."

Minho looks suspiciously between an excited Hyunjin and a horrified you. "Yeah, tell me..."

Hyunjin proceeds to explain the ordeal in great painful detail. He paints a sad picture of you from fighting with your parents about your major to your whining in the lab earlier. All while you plan the detailed and gruesome murder of Hwang Hyunjin in your head.

Even though you are too embarrassed to see Minho's face, curiosity gets the better of you. He seems to be trying his best to follow Hyunjin's rant. His eyebrows perked up and eyes shifted between the two of you. His nose scrunched as he nods continuously.

"So what do you think of my genius idea huh?" Hyunjin asks Minho as he smiles widely at you both.

"Ermm... ", Minho looks between you and Hyunjin looking positively confused. "I think I can do it yeah." He says in his honey-melting crush-heightening voice and nods at you.

All you can do is force a hopefully normal smile on your face as Hyunjin celebrates his 'victory'. You shoot Minho an apologetic look as Hyunjin forces you both to exchange numbers and discuss the tutoring schedule- every Monday evening at the library.

"See you on Monday y/n." He says with a soft smile as he hoists his bag up higher on his shoulder and walks away after saying his byes to Hyunjin.

There is no death for the crush now.

————————————

The Monday could not have come slower. Although it was only three days from meeting Minho it felt like the longest days of your life. To make matters worst, Hyunjin and Yeji, your roommate, could not stop talking about Minho.

Turns out he didn’t spurt out of nowhere since Thursday, he was fondly called Lino by the dance team. You’d previously heard Hyunjin and Yeji talk for hours together about the “brilliant” dancer that “Lino” was. But you’d also heard Yeji mock Hyunjin for constantly getting bullied by him. The stories that you had always laughed your heart out to because mostly Hyunjin did deserve it. But now those stories do nothing but increase your anxiety as you walk slowly towards the campus library to meet your gorgeous dancer-nerd tutor.

What if he bullies you too? Or worse what if you embarrass yourself in front of Mr Gorgeous!

You groan as you step into the library, searching along rows of students absorbed in their own world before spotting him. He was wearing another plain black shirt, hair messed up in sweeps framing the side of his face, and a thin framed glass perched on his face. His little nose scrunched up as he was concentrating on his laptop, the headphones on his head.

Why does this man make you weak over the bare minimum!

“Hey Minho”, you greet as you reach the table he’s sat at, settling down across the table from him.

He looks up removing his headphones and smiles at you, nodding in acknowledgment.

Both of you walk around on eggshells for the first few minutes, him understanding how much knowledge you have in the subject- he almost looks disappointed on hearing the answer be ‘nothing’. Eventually, you both developed a plan and he began explaining from the basics. Although you had a very hard time concentrating initially, especially when his eyes got all dark and focused, as he bit his lip whenever you messed up and explained in that calm soothing voice of his. But eventually, you started finding it easier to learn when he taught you in parts, giving examples and helping you take notes.

The hour passed by much too quickly for your liking but a part of you was relieved to be out of his strong gaze. He had given you some pointers and tasks to do over the week to help speed the process to pass the finals approaching in two months.

The following weeks go smoothly, Mondays becoming your favourite and most exciting day of the week- adulting really was sad. You saw Minho relaxing with every session, the third session he even started teasing you about your mistakes. He would let out a little “hehe”, smile brightly as his eyes lit up and shake his head as he says, “No that’s not how you run this. It’s a different coding language so the rules change.”

He never raised his voice or lost his cool. While you were constantly groaning or huffing in irritation at the irrational rules of computer science. You constantly explained to him that you weren’t an entire novice to coding but the concepts of operating systems and databases simply did not make sense. He would constantly assure you that this was hard for computer science majors and that you had not much to worry about. Eventually, the one-hour sessions became longer as you both sit back and talk about random topics during "breaks". He even suggested an additional session to "help speed the process", which made your stomach drop in an odd way (not because your crush kept exponentially growing in the last six weeks).

That’s how you find yourself in the library on a Thursday afternoon, coming to the library hours prior to your session with Minho. Trying your best to understand the concept you both were supposed to go over so that you didn’t look too dumb and also because your finals is approaching in two weeks. You used to be the topper in school, and you even managed to stay in the top 10 in your department but none of that worked here. It definitely didn’t help to learn that Minho was an extremely talented all-rounder.

In the last six weeks, you might’ve slipped into a couple or almost all of the dance team’s practice sessions pretending to care about Hyunjin and Yeji (both of whom were surprised to find you there for the first time in three years).

Minho danced as gracefully as a swan while emitting the most powerful aura on stage. You had seen the dance team’s performances before to support your friends but you hadn’t really noticed anyone except those two till now. But now you could not take your eyes off Minho even when you heard the team and other audiences praise how amazing Hyunjin and Yeji were.

You shake your head to prevent yourself from getting distracted by Minho’s tantalising steps from the previous day’s rehearsal. All of this did nothing but feed the monster of a crush you were fostering inside. She was so strong now that calling it a crush felt wrong. You were down bad. But that is a problem for another time, you needed to learn this concept before Minho gets there in half an hour.

You’re not sure how long it has been since you started hyper focusing on the topic but you are brought out of your reverie by Minho’s rich voice.

“Hey y/n.” He sounds cheerful and there’s a cute smile on his face which makes the monster butterflies immediately rise up in your stomach.

“Hello.” You smile back as he settles in the seat next to you. This was another suggestion from Minho since the third week to "help correct your mistakes better", little did he know it only made you more prone to mistakes with him so close to you. You noticed that he was wearing his white hoodie and grey joggers- which you know now is his dance practice attire, and his hair is all tousled and messy. His cheeks are flushed from the practice and he is slightly out of breath as he takes his laptop out and settles down.

“You’ve already started this topic huh. Good to see you working so hard. ” He says with a genuine smile nodding towards your laptop. You smile coyly, stomach doing a little flip at the compliment (it never gets old).

“Ah, nothing like that. Just had time to kill. Thought I’d try to catch up so that I’m not entirely clueless for today.” He nods and looks at you for a second longer than usual. Just as you think he’s going to turn to his laptop and start the session he leans towards you and brushes a strand of your hair behind your ears. Time comes to a standstill as you process what just happened. When you recover from the tingle his touch had left on your cheek and behind your ear, you realise that he has gone to his work.

“Let’s start?” He enquired looking innocent and all you can do is nod. Your heart is still beating fast as you try your best to follow everything Minho is saying. Every time you got your heart to calm down he would turn to look at you from behind his glasses, a serious expression on his face which was way too close to yours for your brain to work.

When you start working on the code he leans between you and your laptop to point at the code on the farthest end of the screen from him. His face is extremely close to yours as you do everything to remain normal- on the outside.

Eventually, the session comes to an end and you slump back in your chair sighing as you catch your breath and look at Minho. He is on his phone smiling every now and then and your hearts drops as anxiety clouds your head. Not that you had any intentions of taking any action about your crush… but still the heart wants what it wants. He turns to you as he puts his phone down and removes his glasses.

“How come you had free time today, before our session? I thought you had a full schedule on Thursdays?” He enquires and pushes his smooth fluffy hair out of his face.

You have two thoughts in your brain at this point- a) why did he have to be that gorgeous, and b) did he remember when you told him about your schedule the first time you both met.

You straighten up as you answer. “Erm… yeah no my lab got cancelled. Prof has been sick for a week now so I was free.”

“Is that why you seem to be having a lot of free time lately?” His question comes out more as a comment as he gives you a smirk.

“Uh what do you mean?”

He runs his hand through his hair again.

“Nothing just been seeing you around during practice a lot recently… that’s why.” He almost looks shy as he says it, but the smirk stays put on his face.

You feels your cheeks and neck heat up and do your best to not look like a deer caught in headlights.

You let out a small fake laugh. “Ah, that… I was just supporting Hyunjin. And Yeji too, she’s my roommate you know?” You ask hoping he’d shift the topic to them instead.

He leans back on the side of his chair eyeing you with the smirk still in its place. “Yeah I know. I’ve known for three years.” Your eyes widen naturally at this new information. “Which is why I was surprised to see you there now after all these years. You don’t usually come to practice sessions.” He says calmly.

There are too many questions in your head but you choose to ignore anything that gives you even a sliver of hope. You straighten more hoping the stature makes you look at least slightly intimidating. Which, judging by the even bigger smirk on Minho’s face didn’t work.

“I- I came because Yeji and Hyunjin were nervous about their solos.”

His expression is straight-up cocky. “Oh is that why you were staring at me the whole time?”

His words might’ve affected you so much that you were embarrassed but you weren’t going to feed into his ego.

“Seems like you need a new prescription for your eyes.” You pick up your things, start to walk away from the table and pause to give him a sarcastic smile.

"Also seems like you were the one who was seeing me instead of focusing on your practice."

You walk away hoping to save some face before you feel his hold on your wrist. His hands are rough and he holds you just tight enough to stop you but not hurt you.

“Y/n I was just teasing… sorry if I crossed a line.” He sounds so soft and timid that you whip your head around to see him standing behind you with big eyes and a small pout. You sigh and smile at him.

“I know… I was too. Don’t worry abt it, Mr Tutor.” You try to lighten the mood by lightly tapping his shoulder and see him shudder slightly.

“I do like seeing you in practices.” He admits in a low voice, a shy smile on his face.

You are just a melted goo of a human on the inside. The smile on your face comes naturally but for once, you don’t feel the need to hide it. Minho made you lose your guard way too much but even then today was way out of either of your usual zones. For the rest of the night, you are a mess of nerves and excitement. Yeji doesn’t question it anymore.

Two days later, you arrive at the auditorium of your uni with the two other friends of your gang- Jeongin and Yuna. As you three settle down in one of the middle rows, for which you almost fought off a junior, you are giddy with excitement to see Minho perform. And Hyunjin and Yeji of course.

You had tried to go to the dress rehearsal the previous day, catching the last few minutes of the performance and it was safe to say that the performance was going to be a hit. This time you didn’t try to sneak around, instead you waited after rehearsal and walked back with Minho, Hyunjin and Yeji. The vibe between Minho and you had shifted since that evening, he had texted you memes twice the next day and the previous evening, you both had walked close enough for your shoulders to brush while laughing about baseless things. If Hyunjin and Yeji noticed, they didn’t say anything and even gave the two of you some space by racing each other. For all the grace they both had on stage, they were complete idiots.

Your heart starts beating faster as the performance begins and you watch in a daze the whole time. All of them killed it from start to end. You were almost emotional watching Yeji and Hyunjin shine bright during their solos. Minho was on fire throughout the whole performance and you thought you dreamt of him looking at you during his solo- which was practically too hot for you to physically handle.

Once the performance is over, Jeongin, Yuna and you walk over to the green room to meet your amazing friends. You run over to congratulate your friends and even manage a small "nice performance" for the other members. The entire green room is filled with members of the dance team and their friends, all shouting and laughing. Amongst the chaos and happiness in your friend group, you can't help but look around for Minho. Catching your eye Hyunjin tugs at your shoulder signalling you to lean in as he says, "Go to the backside of the auditorium."

You look at him confused for a second before he gives a pointed side-eye that says "Don't act like you don't understand". You give a shy smile thanking him and inform Yeji that you'll be back and quietly slip out through the back door of the auditorium as Hyunjin told you to. Once you close the door behind you, a cool gush of wind makes you rub your shoulders for warmth as the green room's ruckus dies into the evening's silence. You look around for him and see a silhouette standing at the right edge leaning on the railing and looking out at the campus gardens.

Taking a deep breath you slowly approach him. As if sensing your presence, he whips his head around.

"Y/N." He says softly and you walk closer to see his left hand stretched out. You freeze in your spot, five steps away from him, gaping at the hand. He sees your confusion, smiles, walks toward you, and grabs your right hand. You stand there watching him and feel your feet move on their own as he helps you stand beside him facing the gardens, hands still interlaced. Your brain seems to short-circuit as you just stand there, still as a statue, hyperaware of his touch and the tingles it left in your body.

After what feels like a minute or an eternity, you are no longer aware of worldly concepts like time, he clears his throat and you see him angle his body toward you from the corner of your eyes. This brings you back to reality and you turn your face toward him and see how gorgeous he looks under the moonlight, hair all messed up, his shirt still clinging from the sweat due to the performance and lips spread into a soft smile.

"Hi." He says with an expectant smile on his face.

"Hey," you hear your own voice sound distant and breathless. It would be embarrassing how weak you were from this boy if you didn't know that he deserved all the love and attention in the world.

"So... you really didn't want to see me perform I guess." His tone is playful and there's a smirk on his face.

"Wha- What no... I did want to see you perform."

"Then you just didn't like it I guess. Tsk tsk." He mockingly shakes his side to side as the girn grows wider on his face. Your face heats up in embarrassment and you thank god that the only light around the place is hitting on his face and not yours.

"I never said that." You say in a low shy voice (again, borderline embarrassing).

"You didn't say anything good about the performance either. At least to me." He pauses and looks at you before turning to the garden again, "I heard you throwing compliments around like confetti inside,, to your friends."

You immediately feel your stomach drop in guilt and very little excitement (The Minho wanted your validation!!).

"Oh. Oh no, I- I didn't mean to... It's just," you take a small breath as he turns to face you again with an eager expression, "I can't really think right now with you holding my hand and looking all gorgeous and hot, and I keep thinking back to your moves on stage which were straight up sinful Minho." The words come out before you can process it and your eyes widen as you realise what you said and see that Minho's smirk has grown exponentially smug before he breaks into soft laughter.

You silently groan putting your head down on the railing. Minho stops laughing and tugs at your hand which makes you slightly face him. "Hey, don't be embarrassed." He says with that soft, kind voice of his.

"Easy for you to say." You mumble as you look at your hands, one still intertwined in his. He uses his other hand to lift your chin up to face him, you swear you can hear your heartbeat as loudly as a gunshot fired into the dead of the night. His eyes are soft, a twinkle in them, and he has the prettiest smile on his face as he takes in your face.

"I still want a proper compliment Gorgeous." He says and you choke on empty air at the term of endearment (the irony rather). He lets out a chuckle at that and raises his eyebrows for you to go on as he holds your other hand in his. "Can you even breathe right now?" He jokes and you snap out of the daze.

"Jerk," you say pulling your hands from his, turning away with a huff.

"Y/N... come oonnn..." He whines and you involuntarily laugh and turn to see him pouting (lost track of all the embarrassing things you do for him at this point). "Pleaasseeeee", he says with the cutest pout and puppy-dog eyes.

You sigh. "Well, you did amazing." The pout is intact on his face, indicating he wants to hear more. "I- I couldn't take my eyes off you the whole time. I saw Hyunjin and Yeji only during their solos." You admit sheepishly. You are still not sure where all this sudden courage is coming from. You are not the most vulnerable or soft person, in fact, your friends constantly teased you for being nonchalant and tactful during most situations. Lee Minho was going to be the death of you.

He straightens at the admission from you, eyes widening and jaw opening in surprise. A smirk plays up on your face at the opportunity to see him lose his cool.

"Have you forgotten your manners or are you too flustered to say thanks?" You tease not letting the opportunity go to waste. His demeanour changes and the shyness on his face is replaced by something darker, like trouble. He slowly walks towards you, like a cat prancing towards its meal, and you take a step back till you are flush against the railing as he keeps walking closer. You think your heart will fail if he keeps doing it. He stops an inch from your face, placing both his palms on either side of you on the railing.

"Let's see who is too flustered now..." His voice is deep and gravelly. You gulp and stare at his face, not having the courage to do anything else. He starts leaning towards your face, his eyes momentarily drift to your lips and god help your poor soul.

"Min-Minho.. wha-what are y-you doing?"

Your voice breaks and his lip tilts slightly before he speaks, "Can I kiss you?" His voice has gone an octave deeper and your heart skips several beats. All you can manage is a small nod in approval and he shakes his head. "Say it, Gorgeous."

Jesus this man is out to kill you.

"Ye-yes." The word leaves your mouth more like a question but the smirk on his face tells you he is satisfied. He leans in more, your lips almost connecting and you close your eyes waiting for his lips to touch yours. One beat, two beats, three beats and the effect never comes. You open your eyes in confusion to see Minho has moved a little back, with the proudest smile on his face.

Before you can begin to voice out your confusion he speaks. "I will kiss you...", you're still confused, "Only if you pass your finals."

"Huh?" That's all you can think and say.

"I said what I said."

"What does that even mean? Why did you ask to kiss me and then not do it... are you crazy! I swear to god if this is some sick joke to you, I will murder you Lee Minho." You are fuming, your face is burning up and you're embarrassed.

"I- no no you've got it wrong. I'm sorry I didn't mean to... I was teasing. Its... I have wanted to do this for a while now... but I thought maybe you don't really like me or... God!" He groans and runs a hand through his hair.

"What do you mean?"

He turns around to look at you, eyes wide and his hand fidgets in nervousness.

"Y/n I- I like you... I have for a while. I saw you during a freshman-year party as you came to help a very drunk Hyunjin. I thought you were his girlfriend for an entire year because you both were very close so I kept my distance. Last year I got to know that you both were just friends and really wanted to get to know you."

He stops and sighs, he positively looks scared and tired. You feel bad but your own confusion and insecurity clouds your mind.

"Then why didn't you?"

He looks straight into your eye and lets out a scoff.

"Did you even know me until two months back?"

All you can do is stare back because you are guilty. Even you had been asking yourself how you had never noticed Minho in all the times you've hung out with the dance team after performances. You had even known Chan, the team leader back when you were freshmen. But somehow missed the one person you seem to care about right now.

"That's what I thought." He looks dejected. You really want to hug him, which is surprising considering you don't even like hugs usually.

So you walk up to him, closing the gap between the two of you in three steps and wrap your arms around his waist and feel him freeze. Your head reaches near his shoulder, and you lean into it because there is some unbridled courage in you that you are not about to waste. After a beat or two you feel his arms wrap around your waist and you wait for the butterflies and nerves but instead, you feel your heartbeat slow down. It feels... comfortable.

"I'm sorry. I am not exactly the most observant person. Especially around the dance team because I am way too in awe and kinda scared. I don't think I would've been friends with Yeji and Hyunjin if I had not met them outside of the team. But after the last two months, I don't even understand how I missed you. Especially with how you dance and not to forget that smart brain of yours. But yeah... I'm sorry" The words fall out of your mouth on their own but it feels right.

"Not your fault. I did keep myself very much out of the limelight because I was... I don't know, maybe scared of rejection. But yeah, wish I'd spoken to you earlier." You can feel his words. You also feel his heartbeat slow down.

"I don't regret anything that happened though." His voice sounds a lot lighter this time.

"Neither do I."

You slightly pull back to see his face and try to get out of the embrace but he holds onto you tight. An involuntary smile creeps up your face.

"So... what happens now?"

He thinks for a second and a glint forms in his eyes.

"What do you want to happen?"

You like this.

"Three things. I want you to continue tutoring me. I also want to be your girlfriend and... I need you to kiss me now." You see him start to speak and continue before he can. "If you say you won't do that until I pass, I swear to god Lee Minho, I will never let you talk to me or touch me ever again." His whole face goes into a pout and it makes you regret your own condition because it seems impossible to stay away from this guy- in any capacity.

"Then I guess I'll just have to kiss you until you pass and then reward you with more kisses after that."

He is grinning ear to ear, looking all cute and radiant. You're sure your also grinning equally widely. You nod your head fiercly and he chuckles with his head thrown back (Gorgeous, as always). He slowly leans in and your eyes close shut.

This time you feel his lips on you, soft and firm. You had thought about this moment far too much but nothing came close to the real thing. The kiss felt perfect, delicate but assured and blissful. It felt like all of the universe had frozen in place and only the two of you existed in this endless bliss.

That is until you heard hoots from somewhere and reluctantly break the kiss to see all of the dance team and your friends cheering on for both of you.

"Neither of us was subtle huh?" You joke.

"Oh please, I was so subtle I practically melted into the background for a year." You playfully hit his chest as he laughs and waves off the hooligans cheering on.

"Ugh, it's gonna be so much harder to keep my hands off you during tutoring sessions now." He groans and you can't help but blush and let out a content laugh.

Maybe the computer science elective was a good decision after all.

Finally back from my vacation! After I finish my oc intros, I’ll finally get back into writing a story/ff for my playlist! I might change some songs because there’s few I’ve been listening to the whole vacation and it’s helping me get inspirations! Stay tuned :3

PLAYLIST

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Show Me Off

PAIRING: lee minho x gender-neutral reader

GENRE: fluff, but a lot more angst. situationship. they are secretly seeing each other, but other doesn't want it as secret.

CWs: just a little bit of insecurites going on, but please lmk if more

WORD COUNT: 431

A/N: This is my first written fanfic on here! Sorry, it's short, but this is just a warm up for my playlist list and sorry for my english, too LOL Hope you enjoyyyyy

Now Playing . . . Show Me Off - Sara Kays

You hesitated to knock on his door as you stood in the front of his apartment on a particularly dark night. Despite the fact that you visited each other's homes often. However you continue to have doubts about yourself. The most handsome man ever known to man, Minho, is lovely when he laughs and smiles. Kind and gentle as always. He was not, at least not yet, your boyfriend.

Minho would wait for you outside in the car, and as soon as you got inside, he grabbed your chin and pressed his lips to yours. He reaches out to hold your hand and reminds you how gorgeous you have always been in his eyes. How his smile would grow when you would make jokes. You wondered if he would act same if it were in front of people.

When you were both by yourself, he gave you a never-ending amount of kisses, but when his friends were there, he treated you as if you’re a stranger. How he brushed it off when his friends asked who you were, saying that you're just a friend. And how, as you entered the bar together, he would ignore your presence.

You enjoy how sweet he sounds when he sings or hums while taking a shower or preparing dinner. You love the way he looks when the sun kisses him during golden hour. Minho was lying on the couch next to you as you converse, his sweet giggle resonating across the room and your heart melted. You once said, "I like when we talk really late at night." As he turned to face you, his grin gradually vanished, and he became silent.

You wonder when tomorrow will come, when the sun will rise, and when you are by yourself among a crowd. Would he ever treat you the same way as the previous night in the daylight? When he said you remind him of the moon, you wondered if he'd ever seen someone who reminds him of the sun. You ponder whether he would love you more if you glowed like the sun. Was he never aware how hurt you felt?

You’ve been hoping since late September that he’d act how you wanted him to. Every time you approach his house, you hold out hope that something will change. The only thing you want is to be flaunted, after all. But you've learned to just put up with it and leave, knowing that when dawn comes, he'll act as if you're just another person.

“I know when the sun is up,

I know when tomorrow comes,

Even though it’s all I want.”

PLAYLIST.

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230702💙

The only exception

barista Minho x reader. strangers to lovers. slow burn. if you can, listen to The only exception by Paramore while reading :)

Minho was content with straying away as far as possible from love. That is until you stumbled into his café on a rainy night, and unwittingly, into his life.

skz song series masterlist

i.

Minho sweeps the countertop with a blue rug, wiping away the scattered droplets of spilled coffee. He grabs a pastry from the showcase- a blondie with a raspberry drizzle on top, placing it on a plate decorated with dainty flowers. And then he gives it to the middle-aged man sitting near the back of the café. 

Minho is in Aurora, completing his mid-day shift, and yet it feels as if he's only physically there. His body is moving on auto-pilot, mechanically performing the familiar tasks etched into his memory by now. And he likes it, since it drowns out the tumultuous thoughts plaguing his mind.

Minho used to look forward to the days when Marta- Aurora's exceptional baker, would prepare blondies. The alluring aroma of the freshly made pastry would waft through the café, enveloping both Minho and the customers in a soothing embrace. He enjoyed preparing the coffee and drawing different pretty patterns on top of it. He also liked the music playing, and sometimes, the manager would even let him play some of his own playlists. 

But that was before Minho got his heart broken, torn in half, carelessly, as if it didn't belong to a breathing human, but rather to an unfeeling entity. Now, his lattes are void of intricate designs, the blondies prepared by Marta remain untouched, and his mind doesn't register the music playing. 

He's just existing, in a stillness he perfectly curated. He's a placid river, undisrupted, running its usual course day after day. 

Minho watches as the man clad in a polished suit finishes his treat, before getting up and leaving Aurora with hurried steps. He eats alone now, Minho has noticed, and his ring finger is void of the gold band he used to wear.

Perhaps that's what Minho's fate would also be. Eating alone in cafés he used to bring his lover to, basking in the chatter surrounding him, in the desperate hope that it'll fill the void inside him. 

ii. 

it's a Thursday, which means Minho is working the night shift at Aurora. It's pouring rain outside, the incessant water droplets a misty veil that fogs up the café's windows. Amidst the downpour, he catches sight of a couple dashing through the rain, hands tightly clutched into one another. They're giggling, as if the rain falling isn't a nuisance, but rather an elixir heightening their love. Minho looks the other way. 

The door to Aurora is pushed open, and Minho watches as you set foot inside. You're drenched in rain, from head to toe, strands of your hair sticking to your cheek. You exhale in relief, closing your eyes for a split second as the warmth of the café surrounds you- like a childhood blanket tightly wrapped around your being. There is a hint of a smile as you walk to the counter. It only grows when your eyes set on Minho. 

"Hi!" you greet cheerfully and he simply nods in return. The weather was horrible and you were probably uncomfortable from the clothes clinging to your skin, so what were you exactly joyful about?

"Can I have hot chocolate, please? Oh, and a piece of that brownie," you point to the showcase, and he follows your line of sight. 

"Sure, anything else?" 

"No, thank you," you smile, and he nods once again. "That will be 10 dollars." 

"Here," you hand him a crumpled bill and he takes it from you carefully, ensuring your hands don't brush against one another. 

You sit down on a chair near the window, and Minho dutifully prepares your order. He brings it to you once he's done, and you grin at him once again. You smile a lot, he thinks to himself. 

Minho goes on with his tasks, cleaning the dirty cups in the sink and grounding the coffee beans. When he's done, he can't help but notice you grabbing some napkins from the table and dabbing your neck and face dry with them. He sighs to himself before retreating to the café's backroom.

"Here, to dry your hair with," he says, handing you a clean towel.

Minho leaves before you could smile at him again. 

iii. 

It's Tuesday, and Minho has just served a freshly baked cinnamon roll to Mark- the middle-aged man who just introduced himself to Minho after months of frequenting Aurora.

Minho liked having regulars in his shifts, familiar faces to look into. This was part of the reason why he picked being a barista as a part-time job- he enjoyed people-watching. Not in a noisy way; he simply liked imagining the lives of the people surrounding him. It served as a distraction from his own. 

Among the regulars was a woman in her thirties who only ordered a chaï latte with a blueberry muffin. Then there was that one student, with blonde hair and freckles dusting his cheeks. He really despised bitter coffee, always ordering his with abnormal amounts of syrup.

And now, there was you too. You've been coming to Aurora regularly for the past few weeks since your initial visit. Minho still hasn't memorized your go-to order because you don't have one. You pick a new drink each time as if you were on a mission to taste everything on the menu. 

You come here alone, occupying the same seat by the window with your chin resting on your palm. He suspects you enjoy people-watching too since you often gaze outside. You also bring books with you, reading them while sipping on your beverage. Sometimes you write too, in a tiny sage notepad. 

And you smile, god do you smile a lot. At young children passing by in the street, at an elderly couple holding hands, at the black cat that sleeps on the edge of the window. And you smile at Minho. Each time you order, each time your eyes meet his from across the café. Minho likes to believe that happiness was so deeply ingrained within you, it became the very essence of your soul- an intrinsic part of your being you could not part with.

The door to Aurora is pushed open and Minho isn't surprised to see you entering once again, your bag loosely hanging from your shoulder. 

"Hi!" you greet excitedly as you usually do, and Minho simply nods, as he usually does. 

"I'm sorry if this is a bit weird," you preface, piquing Minho's curiosity. "I'm not really craving anything today, so can you make me your favorite drink?"

"My favorite drink?" he repeats, a bit incredulously and you nod eagerly. "Yes, I drink anything and I don't have any allergies, so whatever you prepare is fine!" you smile hopefully at him.

He stays silent, mulling over your request. He goes to say no, but the smile slowly slipping from your face makes a strange pang of guilt wash over him.

"On second thought, I'll just have-"

"Okay," he interrupts, "I'll bring it to you when it's done," he quickly says and the smile etches itself on your lips once again. Minho feels an unexpected relief dawn on him at its sight.

"Thank you! I'm yn, by the way," you introduce.

"Minho," he says, although you can read it on his nametag. 

"Minho," you repeat, and he finds himself itching to hear his name dripping from your lips again.

Minho prepares you an iced americano with cold foam, and two pumps of white mocha, since you seem to enjoy drinks on the sweeter side. He watches breathlessly from the counter as you take a sip of it, closing your eyes to fully relish in its taste. Your nose scrunches up in delight before you quickly turn around to shoot him a thumbs up from afar. 

Minho nods, before turning his back to you. Unwillingly, a small smile tugs at his lips. He's glad you liked it. 

iv.

Another Thursday unfolds following its usual routine. Mark occupies his customary spot in the rear of the café, while the scent of Marta's lemon madeleines permeates the kitchen.

Except you're not smiling. 

Minho finds it odd, how there was no cheerfulness in your steps as you walked to the counter. You did not smile while ordering, and your voice carried a tinge of sadness when you thanked him.

You did not ask about his day, nor about his cats- that was also something unusual for you to do. You've asked about them each time since Minho told you about them. He didn't plan on doing so, he just saw you one day eyeing the stickers of his three cats on his phone case, while he was counting your change.

"Are they your cats?" you asked, pointing at them and he nodded, a faint smile dancing at the corners of his lips.

"They are."

"You must love them a lot. They almost managed to make you smile," you teased, grabbing the rest of the money and walking to your usual seat. 

Minho steals brief glances at you, as he prepares your matcha latte, a drink you seemed to enjoy a lot lately. You're gazing at the window almost soulfully, your back slightly hunched as if there was an invisible weight crushing you underneath it. 

Minho nibbles on his lower lip, contemplating his next move, before grabbing the frothed milk. For the first time in months, he draws a little cat on the surface of your drink, just like he used to do a long time ago.

He brings it to you, and his heart flutters nervously as you gaze down at the cup. He almost second-guesses his action, that is until you beam at him, and Aurora suddenly feels brighter than it did seconds ago. 

v. 

"When does your shift end?" you ask Minho as he sets your perfectly crafted matcha latte on the table- an order he has committed to memory by now.

"In an hour, why?" he asks curiously and you wave your hand dismissively. "Just wanted to know." 

The seconds trickle by slowly, as the hour almost comes to an end. You watch as Minho takes off his apron, running a hand through his hair. It's gotten longer now, silky bangs he tucks behind his ear to keep them from obstructing his vision.

He talks a bit to Seungmin, the other barista that works there. And then he steals a quick glance around the room, where he finds you already looking. You wave him over, and he tilts his head slightly in confusion, before walking to your table. 

"Sit down," you smile, gesturing to the chair in front of you. Minho complies silently.

"Here," you take out a container filled with brownies from your bag. "I never properly thanked you, for the towel and for the little cat you drew on my coffee last week. So, here, thank you," you beam at him while sliding the box in his direction.

"I don't- it's nothing, you didn't have to," he says, and you notice a tinge of pink blush covering the tips of his ears.

"I wanted to. I hope you'll like them, I'm not as good as your baker, but I tried," you confess, smiling sheepishly, and Minho feels a sudden urge to vehemently contradict you, to tell you that they must taste good. And even if they didn't it wouldn't matter, because you baked them for him. And that is enough. 

But he bites the inside of his cheek harshly, physically stopping this rush of words eager to escape his mouth.

"Let's eat them together, hum?" he simply suggests, opening the container and placing a brownie on your plate before taking one himself.

"Is it good?" you ask tentatively and he pretends to contemplate your question for a moment.

"They're horrible, right? I shouldn't have taken creative liberties with the recipe and-"

"Yn, I'm just kidding," he stops you, a soft smile on his face. "They're delicious, see," he says, finishing the brownie in one bite. "Really good," he compliments, reaching for another piece. 

"Okay," you smile in relief, eyes crinkling closed. The sunlight is streaming through the window, casting a golden shadow on your face. You are swaying contently in your place, as you take another bite of the brownie. And you look happy, with him. Minho thinks the brownies are the best he's ever had because he's sharing them with you. Because he got a taste of your happiness through them. 

vi. 

"Can you believe that professor? He failed half the class and he still thinks he isn't the problem." 

You are venting to Minho about your stuck-up Economics professor, while leaning against the countertop. He's listening intently to you, drinking in the details of your face as you talk to him. For some reason, he finds the smile lines on your face mesmerizing, that and the way your eyebrows move with your every word. 

These subtle details have been engraved into his memory since the day you gave him the brownies, two months ago. He has grown fond of you, sitting at your table at the end of his shift without you having to ask. You also hang out outside of Aurora, going on frequent walks and discovering new food spots. He never felt that the conversation between you two was strenuous, or forced. It flowed naturally, like a waterfall knowing exactly where it should go.

He also finds that smiling is easy with you. At your jokes, your stories, and your existence. He's lost count of the times he found himself grinning widely at your words, or smiling softly to himself at the thought of you coming to Aurora soon.

"He's too full of himself to admit he's the one who sucks at teaching," Minho comments and you clap in agreement. 

"Right! And it's so funny because..." You're still talking but your words go unheard by Minho, like a mindless buzz in the back of his mind. He's frozen in his place, his heart beating wildly in his ribcage as he notices the couple who just came in.

His ex, with the man she cheated on him with. 

"Minho? What's wrong?" you call out, snapping him out of his daze. You're eying him worriedly, and only then does he realize how tightly he's holding the countertop. 

"Nothing," he curtly replies, as he plasters a neutral expression on his face. 

He watches as his ex's eyes widen slightly when she sees him. She forgot he was working here. Of course, it'd be easy to do so since she never visited him at Aurora anyways. Despite the flood of emotions cursing through him, Minho maintains a stoic facade, taking their orders as if she's a mere stranger and not the one behind his shattered heart.

As Minho attempts to prepare their coffee, his hand trembles uncontrollably, forcing him to stop before dropping the milk.

He didn't love her anymore, he was certain of it. But still, the sight of her brought unpleasant memories back to the surface. Ones he tried so hard to bury in the back of his mind. And Aurora was his sanctuary. One, she never tainted with her presence. Has she not taken enough from him already? 

"Minho?" you call out softly, and Minho feels guilty because he left you alone with no explanation. Still, when he turns around, he can tell you aren't upset. You are worried, looking at him cautiously. 

"Is everything okay?" you ask once again, and this time Minho can't find it in him to lie to you, so he simply shakes his head no. 

"Your hand is shaking," you observe, before gently grabbing it in yours. You cover his hand with both of your palms, squeezing it lightly to steady the tremors cursing through it. 

Your hand is warm, and very soft, a stark contrast to the sharp emotions surging within him, like pine needles puncturing his heart.

"Would you like me to serve them?" you ask softly, and Minho isn't surprised you picked up on his unease. You're perceptive, it's one of the things he likes about you. 

"Please," he responds quietly. You simply smile, reaching for an apron and wrapping it around your waist. You look adorable, intertwining yourself with his world, and the sight of you eases the ache in Minho's soul.

A few minutes later, you grab the tray from his hands and walk over to their table. Minho chuckles inwardly when he notices that you didn't smile at them, serving them with a blank face, and his chest warms a little.

He has you on his side. 

Five days later, you're sitting besides Minho on a bench; watching the sun as it dips into the ocean, painting the sky in hues of orange and yellow. Yet, the dazzling colors are the last thing on Minho's mind. All he can think about is you. How you helped him with serving the rest of the drinks that day, how he taught you how to work the coffee machines- a solace from the ugly feelings that roared in him.

"Thank you," he abruptly says and you turn to look at him, perplexed.

"For what you did the other day, with the couple that came in. That was, um... my ex and the person she cheated on me with," he confesses quietly, fiddling with his earlobe. He didn't need to tell you, but he wanted to. "I've moved on, it's just... seeing her again hurt. I don't know why." 

Your eyes soften at him, not in pity, but in care. And Minho doesn't mind being vulnerable with you. It's scaring him, but he doesn't mind.

"It's normal for it hurt, it would honestly be weird if it didn't," you smile gently and he sighs in reply, running a hand through his hair. 

"I wish it didn't."

"Love is a powerful feeling, it consumes our entire beings. That's why it hurts when our hearts are toyed with. But love itself doesn't hurt, I feel like it's what makes our world move. You know, the little gestures humans do for one another, that are fueled by love. Like, um... scratching someone's back or peeling someone's fruit. You don't have to do those things, but you do. Because you love the person, and it makes your existence feel gentler, and softer on the heart." You explain, the words leaving your mouth and wrapping around Minho's soul, healing parts of him that he didn't know were bruised.

"My point is, it's normal for you to be hurt. But I hope you don't close your heart entirely to the feeling. Because we may not have grand things in our life, but if there is a hand that brushes our tears away and one that folds our laundry, then that's enough for us to lead a beautiful life."

Minho blinks repeatedly, in a desperate attempt to keep his tears at bay. He felt as if the letters you uttered unfolded and stretched in front of his eyes, morphing into a gentle hand patting his back. Yours.

You smile softly at him, the water's reflection shimmering in your eyes. And Minho thinks that he's standing on the edge of a cliff, ready to dive into the unknown- into you. 

"How do you do it?" he chuckles in disbelief, as he leans a bit closer to you. "You make me want to believe in love again," he pauses, before adding quietly, "but only if it's with you." 

You remain silent as Minho fidgets with his fingers, before tentatively grabbing your hand in his. He doesn't look at you, his gaze fixated on the way your fingers naturally intertwine with one another- as if finding each other after a lifetime of being apart.

"You know, I'd thought I'd always live like this, keeping a comfortable distance between me and people," he says, raising his head to finally meet your eyes, "and up until now I thought I was content with it, with loneliness, I mean. But... but brownies taste sweeter when I'm with you, and Aurora is brighter when you are in it, and smiling feels like second nature around you. And I don't... I don't think I can go back to being lonely again, not when I've had a taste of you in my life." 

Minho's heart is beating wildly into his chest, and he can hear the blood rushing through his ears, frantically, as if to warn him against what he's about to say. But your thumb caresses his palm reassuringly and he wants to try again. With you.

"I- I never wanted to love again, because no one, none of it was ever worth the risk, but you... You are the only exception."

Minho exhales breathlessly and you wrap your arms around his shoulders, pulling him to your chest. You hoped that your warmth would ease his nerves a bit, that your hand on his back would feel gentle on his soul. You didn't want to rush your answer, trying to think of something that will patch up the deeply carved scar in his heart, a perfectly made band-aid in the shape of syllables.

It's a foolish hope, you realize, to instantly quiet the cries of a bruised spirit. So you simply settle on saying the truth sitting on the edge of your tongue.

"It will be quite hard, and scary for you," you whisper placing a tender kiss on his shoulder blade. "But I'll help you, if you'd let me. I'll take care of your heart better than I do with my own."

vii.

"Hey, baby," you smile at Minho, slipping behind the counter to be by his side. He pulls you by your waist, kissing your cheek softly.

"I missed you," he pouts, and you giggle, playing with strands of his hair, "I missed you too."

"Do you know what day it is today?" he asks, a shy smile gracing his face.

"No...?" you trail out and he chuckles, taking your hand in his.

"Don't worry, you didn't miss my birthday. It's just... it's been a year since you first came into Aurora."

"You remember?" you ask in amazement, your heart swelling with love for the man standing before you.

"Mm, how could I forget you? Also," he sneakily points to a table near the back, "my favorite couple is back."

You turn around, a soft gasp escaping your mouth as you find Mark gently holding the hands of his date. You smile happily when you finally notice it- the wedding ring, finally back on his finger.