Alexandrite || Hyunho AU

I - I'll get it back for you one day

"See? I told you it was real!"
Four year old Hwang Hyunjin is on his tippy toes, sporting the most victorious smirk as he hands his mother the "engagement ring". His engagement ring.

"Oh dear God!" Mrs's Hwang's face goes deathly pale in the span of 0.1 seconds as she rips the ring from the tiny hands reaching up towards her.

"How did you get this? Did you take it from someone? Oh my God Hyunjin, what did you do? Whose ring is this?"

"It's mine! Minho gave it to me when he asked. I said yes, so the ring is mine. That's how it works, mom!"
The boy all but rolls his eyes at his mother's denseness. Why must he explain such elementary things to her?

One hour later a couple of pouty boys are crouching in the corner of Mrs. Lee's living room as Mrs. Hwang, barely breathing between fits of laughter, recounts how she'd been dismissing Hyunjin's "engagement" and insistence that the ring is "real and so sparkly-pretty", until the boy decided to prove it to her.

Hyunjin is sad. He liked the ring a lot, it was the coolest thing he'd ever seen. The big stone in the middle changed colors between blue, green and purple when he moved it around. He'd spent the last 2 nights in bed fiddling with it and marveling at how sparkly-pretty it was. Almost as sparkly-pretty as Minho's eyes. Almost.

Minho is sad too. He doesn't understand what's so funny about this whole situation. Yes, he stole his mom's engagement ring to give to Hyunjin when he proposed to him 2 days ago at snack time. Yes, Minho knows stealing is bad and he probably shouldn't have done what he did. He expected to be in trouble, it was a calculated risk... but he's not in trouble. Instead they all laugh and throw endeared looks towards the two boys. He's not sure why, but he really doesn't like it. He'd rather be in trouble. Stealing is bad, but engagements are no laughing matter.

"Yeah so, suffice to say that my heart stopped when I saw it. Definitely not the gummy ring I was expecting." Mrs. Hwang concludes to an equally laughed-out Mrs. Lee.
"We're so sorry for the trouble, and for taking so long to return it. I really had no idea, I hope you didn't get too worried about it!"

"Oh not at all! Please, don't apologize. I honestly had no idea it was missing until you called. I rarely wear it these days and the ring is usually in my jewelry box, which is where my sneaky bunny fished it from. Didn't you, bunny?"

Minho winces at his mother's pet names and prays for this whole ordeal to end. He can only bear so much humiliation, especially in front of Hyunjin. He wishes he was a big strong adult so he could buy a sparkly-pretty ring of his own and give it to the boy next to him. The thought makes him want to cry a little. Just a little.
That's when Hyunjin lets his head rest on Minho's shoulder and whispers:

"It's ok! Don't be sad, ok? I still say yes even if there's no ring, ok? I still say yes!"

Minho feels his tiny heart flutter in a way he hasn't experienced before. It hurts a little but it's exciting, kinda how fizzy candy feels on your tongue. Kinda like that, but more fizzly. He's not sure what to make of the strange sensation so he settles for slipping his fingers in between Hyunjin's.

"I'll get it back for you one day, I promise!"