TASTES LIKE LOVE

The Recovery

She fit in well, better than he imagined, in his humble apartment.
He watched as she made herself at home on the couch, pulling a unsuspecting Dori into her lap and scratching his chin. He purred contentedly, not putting up any fight. Traitor.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, opening the cabinets to check for ingredients.

"You're always looking for opportunities to feed me," she responded, turning to face him. "No, I'm not. Just come here and sit with me, and bring the first aid kit with you."

He chuckled to himself. Miss boss was already hard at work. Cute.

He sat down next to her, making to check her bandages when she stopped him. "No, I'm okay, this is for you," she said, taking the kit from him and opening it. She pulled out the antiseptic gel and cotton swabs, and turned his face to hers.

"Hand," she said, and he obeyed, placing his palm in hers. She started applying the gel to his knuckles, gently, and even though it didn't really hurt he made a face and hissed, earning a disapproving stare from her. Adorable.

"Does it hurt?" she asked, and he had a feeling she was being sarcastic, so he played along.
"Mmmhm," he said, and instead of the usual snarky comment she said, "I'm sorry," her eyes shifty and shiny with unshed tears.
He blanched. Was she going to cry? Because of him??

"Lauren. Look at me," he said, and she shook her head, avoiding eye contact.
"Please?" he pressed, squeezing her hand reassuredly.

She looked up, and a single tear slid down her face. He rubbed it off with his thumb, keeping his touch on her as gentle as possible.
"I'm alright, honey. This is so unlike you, is something else wrong?" he asked, genuine concern allover his face.

"No, its just..you got hurt because of me.. the thought of you getting in any harm scares me so much, Mark. If you weren't there then maybe you could have been safe!"

"Lauren, if I wasn't there, and something had happened to you, I would never have forgiven myself. I would do anything to keep you safe," he said, meaning every word.

She stared at him for a long while, as if weighing what to say, but only nodded and picked up the gel again. She reached up to his hair, brushing the hair away from his face to reveal the wound on his forehead. She made a face, and he couldn't resist a joke.

"I'm still handsome, right??? I hope that jerk didn't ruin my amazing looks," he said, watching her for any reactions.
She narrowed her eyes at him, swiping the gel on his forehead carefully.

"Hmm... that would be the case if you were handsome to begin with," she said, her face deadpan serious.
He winced. "Oh okay, that actually hurt," he said, slightly offended.
She chuckled, reaching down to get some more gel for his lip.

"You're annoyingly handsome, Minho," she said, and he froze. It was the first time she ever called him by his name like that, and it sounded heavenly on her lips.

He stopped her hand that was coming up to his lip, grabbing it in his.
"Say that again," he murmured, eyes locked on hers. She sucked in a breath, and before she could move, he placed a short, chaste kiss on her lips.

She blinked, once, twice, then leaned in and paused right before their lips touched. "You're so annoyingly handsome," she whispered, leaning in again. He dodged her kiss, leaning farther back. "No, my name," he said.
She chuckled under her breath, clearly enjoying this cat-and-mouse game they were suddenly playing.
"Hmmmmm...another time," she whispered, quickly darting away and placing the ointment on his lip.

He hissed in pain, a smile spreading across his face. This little minx.
"It's done," she announced, closing the box and setting it aside.
"Thank you doc," he joked, taking the kit from her before she could object.