𝕄𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕞𝕖 𝕗𝕖𝕖𝕝 𝔸𝕝𝕚𝕧𝕖 || 𝟚𝕞𝕚𝕟

34 | You Belong With Me

Minho held Seungmin close, neither of them moving for what felt like forever. Five whole minutes of just holding on, of making sure the other was real, warm, breathing. It was only when Minho finally pulled back just a little that Seungmin's arms tightened around him, as if afraid he would slip away again. But Minho only cupped Seungmin's face, his thumb gently stroking over his cheek, searching his eyes with quiet desperation.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

Seungmin nodded shakily, barely lifting his head before he buried his face into Minho's warm palm, pressing into the touch like it was the only thing grounding him.

Minho let out a small, shaky breath, his brows knitting together. "I was so worried about you that day... but then..." His voice dropped, raw and hesitant. "I thought you didn't want to talk to me anymore... that...that you hate me."

Seungmin's eyes widened, and before Minho could say anything else, he quickly shook his head, almost frantically, before diving back into Minho's arms, clinging to him even tighter, closer, if that was even possible.

"'m sorry," Seungmin whimpered against his shoulder, his voice hoarse and barely above a whisper. His throat was still recovering, and crying had only made it worse. The sound of it made Minho's chest ache. He knew it must hurt.

Gently, Minho pressed a soft kiss to Seungmin's forehead, his grip firm but tender. "You don't have to be sorry sweetie" he murmured. "And don't speak much, yeah? It hurts, right?"

Seungmin gave the smallest nod against his shoulder, hiccuping softly.

Minho just held him closer. "I've got you," he whispered. "I've got you, Seung."

"You know, I missed you so, so much, Seungmin..." Minho whispered, his voice thick with emotion.

This time, when they pulled back just a little, Seungmin could see it, the sincerity in Minho's eyes, the rawness, the way they shone with unspoken words, with feelings too heavy to put into sentences.

"I can't live without you, Seungmin," Minho admitted, his fingers curling gently around Seungmin's waist, like he was afraid to let go. "And I'm not exaggerating."

There was a brie pause before Seungmin slowly signed, "Me too....I love you."  His hands slightly trembled, but his expression was steady, full of nothing but love.

And then, slowly, tentatively, he closed the gap between them.

Minho's breath hitched as Seungmin's lips brushed against his, soft at first, like testing the waters, but that hesitation melted away within seconds. Their lips moved together, slow but deep, filled with everything they had been holding back. The desperation bled through as Minho's grip tightened, his hands finding purchase at Seungmin's waist, pulling him impossibly close. Without breaking the kiss, he shifted, lifting Seungmin onto his lap, fingers pressing into his back, as if trying to make sure Seungmin would never slip away from him again.

The world outside of them ceased to exist.

When they finally pulled apart, panting softly against each other's lips, Minho didn't waste a second before trailing kisses down Seungmin's sharp jaw. Then his lips found Seungmin's cheeks, pressing gentle pecks there, also kissing his tears away before finally reaching his forehead, where he lingered.

With a deep breath, Minho wrapped his arms around him again, holding Seungmin to his chest, their heartbeats pounding in sync. "I love you, so so much" he whispered against his hair, letting the words settle between them, unshakable.

For a few moments, they did nothing, just sat there, wrapped in each other's warmth, breathing in sync. No words, no movement, just the quiet comfort of finally being together again.

Eventually, Seungmin shifted, slowly pulling away as he wiped at his damp cheeks.

"No more crying, okay?" Minho murmured, reaching out to gently wipe away the last remnants of Seungmin's tears with his thumb.

"You too" Seungmin signed in response.

Minho let out a soft laugh, breathy and light, and Seungmin's heart clenched at the sound. Oh. How much he had missed that. How much he had longed to hear that gentle giggle again.

Seeing Minho laugh, Seungmin found himself smiling too.

"I'm sure your throat must be hurting from all that crying..." Minho said, tilting his head slightly. "I'll make you some tea, okay?"

Seungmin nodded, but when Minho stood up, he followed, not wanting to let him out of sight, not after everything. He reached out hesitantly, fingers curling around Minho's hand, gripping it as if he was afraid Minho would disappear if he let go.

Minho glanced down at their joined hands, his heart squeezing in his chest. He didn't pull away. Instead, he squeezed Seungmin's hand tighter, grounding them both. 

He needed this just as much. Maybe even more.

As Seungmin perched on the kitchen counter, watching Minho prepare the tea, he finally did what he wanted to do since they met. Apologize, properly. He had hurt Minho and he had to apologize and explain himself. He hesitated a bit before signing,

"I'm sorry for leaving you like that, not texting... but I swear, I never blocked your number. I could never do that" He bit his lip, guilt flashing across his face. "All this time, I was waiting for you to contact me, but I never realized... I was the one preventing it. He hesitated before adding, I thought... I thought you didn't want me anymore...But I'm so stupid...it was my fault all along. I'm so sorry..."

Minho stopped mid-motion, setting the spoon down before gently taking his hands in his own.

"Hey," he said firmly, stepping closer. "It was no one's fault, okay? None of that matters now. The only thing that matters is that we're here, together." His voice softened. "And you don't need to be sorry, not one bit."

"...So you aren't mad at me?"

"Of course not! I can never be mad at you puppy." Minho said stroking his thumb over the back of Seungmin's hands.

Seungmin's lips trembled, but he gave Minho a small, grateful smile.

"How have you been these days?" Seungmin signed, the sadness still lingering in his eyes despite the faint smile on his lips.

Minho exhaled, giving a half-hearted shrug. "Fine... but, you know... not really great without you."

"Me too"

-

The tea was ready, and Minho poured it into two cups, carrying them to the living room. They settled onto the couch, sitting close, hands still linked as they sipped in comfortable silence.

The peace was short-lived.

The door opened, and Chan stepped in. "Minho-yah, is it okay if Innie and Hyunjin come in too?"

Minho froze at the name. His entire body tensed, fingers instinctively tightening around Seungmin's hand.

Seungmin flinched slightly at the sudden grip, glancing up at him in concern.

Minho didn't loosen his hold.

He nodded stiffly, but in his head, there was only one thought:

I won't let Hyunjin take you away from me this time.