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seven years later.
SHE COULD FEEL his breath on the back of her neck before she opened my eyes. Honestly, Juno didn't want to open them. The soft lull of crashing waves soothed her back into a doze, happy to stay in the warmth of his arms for a little longer.
She would be content to stay there for the rest of the day, hell, the rest of eternity. However, both of them had jobs to do, so soon enough they would have to get up.
She shifts in bed and his arms tighten around her subconsciously, pulling her closer to his body. She giggles softly, rolling around to face him.
Minho's eyes are closed but a smile tugs at the corner of his lips gently. His arms tighten again, pulling her even closer. He hides his face in her crook of her neck, lips pressing to her ticklish spot.
"Minho." She whines quietly, pushing him back a little.
He pushes his lip out in a pout. "No." He groans. "I don't wanna get up."
"We have to." She whispers, brushing his hair away from his face. It had gotten long, and she would need to cut it yet again.
"Actually..." He stretches the word out, an evil grin growing on his face. "I pulled some strings and got us both the morning off."
"So you're saying you guilt-tripped Brenda into taking my shift." She purses her lips, though she's fighting off a smile.
"Maybe..." He scrunches his nose up in defeat before hiding his face in the crook of her neck again.
Juno finds herself shuffling closer to him, cold. Actually, it had been getting colder during the past month or so. The winds off the waterfront had picked up, and clouds rolled in to hide the sun more often.
A cry breaks Juno from her daze. A cry, not of fear, but one of joy. Joy?
Sharing a confused look, the two climb out of bed and pull on their fleeces before exiting their small home. June exits first, stopping in her tracks and causing Minho to step into her back. His hands fly to her waist to stabilize them both, but even if Juno had fallen nothing could have broken her from this daze of wonder.
A powdery white covered the ground, sparkling in an undisturbed thin layer. Suddenly, she felt as if the world's flaws had disappeared under a quilt of white, fluffy enough to soften the blow of any cruel intentions that had once plagued the earth. It was dazzling, and nearly blinding to her eyes as Juno took her first steps in her beat-up converse, not caring that she could feel the cold through her shoes. Her mouth was parted in shock, her hand raised in front of her to catch fragile snowflakes. They would melt the moment they met her burning skin.
A small laugh escapes her mouth, and she turns to meet Minho's eyes. A smile graces his lips, his cheeks tinted a soft pink from the cold and his breath coming out in a cloud of white. She's in his arms in the blink of an eye, laughing so beautifully Minho would swear his ears were blessed. His arms held her body close, hands cradling her head to his chest that shook with his own laughter full of happiness and wonder. It was incredible.
Then, a flash of white -pure with malicious intentions- met Juno's back and a shriek left her lips.
She reluctantly pulls away from Minho's protective grasp, spinning around only to receive another snowball flying her way. This one narrowly misses her head. A gasp escapes her lips and her eyes fall on Brenda, who's reddening hands are already forming another snowball.
Brenda smirks and launches this snowball, but Juno dodges to the side just in time. Instead, the snowball hits Minho's chest.
Juno's hands fly to cover her mouth, trying to contain her laughter as Minho's eyes widen. He mumbles something to himself, then bends down to create a snowball. Instead of launching it towards Brenda, he swerves at the last moment and throws it to Juno, hitting her square in the stomach.
Then, it's all out war.
People exit their homes to join the fight, laughing in glee at the sight of snow. Teams are formed, forts are built, and by the end of it Juno's shoes are soaked through and her hands are numb. But it's all worth it, and she wouldn't take any moments back.
She finds herself running through the snow, passing a kissing Reese and Kiko, and a laughing Brenda and Gally. She passes Leanne shoving snow down Thomas' shirt, and Frypan trying to start a fire very unsuccessfully next to Jorge as the two share jokes. She passes Kate and Vince swinging their linked hands, and Valeria with her sister. She keeps running, until she finds him.
Minho stands in the snow, a burst of red against the stark white. A comforting heat spreads through Juno's chest as she meets his eyes. He stops midway through his conversation with Aris, who rolls his eyes at the two and leaves Minho's side (surely to find Sonya and Harriet). Minho smiles, his own cheeks flushing a darker red as Juno jogs towards him, jumping into his arms the moment she's close enough.
Minho made Juno feel better, but he wasn't her superhero that would make everything better. Juno had to be the superhero in her own story. However, whenever he was around, Juno didn't feel lonely anymore. He filled the void, and he made everything better. He wasn't a cure, but he was her saving grace.
With her arms and legs wrapped around his body and her face hidden where his neck and shoulder meet, Juno sighs. "Hi." She whispers sweetly.
"Hey." He breathes out, warm breath tickling the side of Juno's neck. She drops to the ground and he pushes some of her flyaways out of her face. "What was that for?"
"I don't know." She hums, grinning sheepishly. "I love you."
"I love you too." He smiles, leaning down to press his lips against hers in a soft kiss. Her fingers thread through his hair to pull him impossibly closer, enjoying the warmth rolling off of him. His hands fall to the side of her neck, holding her gently in place. God, everything just felt so perfect.
When the two pull away, Juno stands up on the tip of her toes to press a chaste kiss against his lips.
"Why are you being so affectionate?" He asks, though he's not complaining. He was just as affectionate as her -if not more- and he was even less hesitant to pull her into a kiss in front of all their friends. He always had a hand on her, and he was always whispering that he loved her. They could be in the middle of a Council meeting and he would lean in close, with his hand on her lower back, and whisper that he loved her. She would simply shake her head and push him away gently, though not too far because she enjoyed his touch. Actually, she enjoyed everything about him; his possessiveness (strong enough to match her own), his affection (a lot stronger than hers), and his forwardness (definitely a lot stronger than hers, as she was always avoiding getting right to the point, meanwhile he would just spit it out). She could lie and say she didn't like it, but she never asked him to stop and it was a dead giveaway to him that she did enjoy it.
She shakes her head, but her smile never leaves her face. "I just really love you."
He knew why she was being this way. They all knew it; the snow was a sign. A sign that mother-nature was fixing herself. A sign of hope.
Beyond the walls of their mazes there was a world waiting for them. They didn't know it then, but there was. A world that's beautiful, ugly, and sad, and raw, and happy. A world so full of wonder and emotions. Those walls aren't stopping them now. They are not stopping Juno now. And she doesn't want to be afraid to feel those emotions anymore. Instead, she's embracing them.
