Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A creak sounds out from his left, the metal hinges of the door becoming worn after the constant use in Seokmin’s relatively older apartment. The sound is familiar and although his eyes are shut, Seokmin finds himself feeling for his surroundings instinctively. Instead of grasping around physically, using his stiff arms, he finds himself focusing mentally on the dim blue that sits next to him, another darker energy at the door.

There’s a haunted whisper that sounds out in Seokmin’s mind and he tries to ignore it, focusing on his surroundings. 

“Is he awake yet?”

Mingyu’s voice comes out softly, almost hesitant. It doesn’t help that he sounds somewhat far away.

A huff of disbelief sounds out from Seokmin’s right, soundling chuffed. Like this isn’t the first time the question’s been asked. Curious, Seokmin wants to open his eyes to see who’s there, but his eyelids are heavy, forced shut by some subconscious part of his mind. His question is answered quickly anyway.

“You were literally gone for ten minutes,” Seungkwan sighs, losing the humor in his voice rather quickly, ”you know it’ll take a while , his body needs to…reset.”

Does Seungkwan mean rest? What needs to reset?

Shuffling noises sound from next to him and even though Seokmin’s eyes are closed, he can sense Mingyu has switched spots with Seungkwan. A newly conscious part of him can feel their positions within the room and he barely has the awareness to question it in his partially awake state.

“You’ll let us know when he’s awake right?” 

The words are coated with just a layer of suspicion and he can almost see Seungkwan’s eyebrow raise.

“Yeah yeah,” Mingyu responds, annoyed and the eyeroll is audible, “go get some rest.”

There’s something about feeling Mingyu right next to him that has his body thrumming with a gradual force of energy, feeding off of Mingyu’s own aura. As if he knows, Mingyu grabs Seokmin’s hand, and the older relaxes, not even realizing he’d tensed up.

“Rest, Seokmin-ah. No need to rush,” Mingyu says gently, even though his voice practically echoes in Seokmin’s skull, “I’ll be here when you’re ready to wake up.”

At the point of contact, tension bleeds from Seokmins body, or rather, a soothing energy flows around him and he can’t help but feel himself slipping under again. The last thing he feels is the warm hand on his own, gripping a little tighter right before Seokmin loses consciousness again.

This time, he’s blinking awake, or rather, into his own mind.

What he presumes is a dream lies before him - possibly a nightmare. He can’t be sure. In front of him is a void of nothingness that seems to carve out something inside him the longer he stares into it. It’s overwhelmingly dark and empty, and he fights the shiver crawling up his spine.

Nightmare . He settles on.

“Hello?”

His own voice surprises him, flinching as the question echoes around him. Unlike his previous semi-conscious state, it’s completely silent other than the sound of his steady breathing. Frowning, Seokmin realizes he truly isn’t awake, not even as conscious as when he heard Seungkwan and Mingyu’s small conversation.

Taking a single step forward, Seokmin nearly jumps back as his foot lands on something soft that slides under his foot and the stark void is quickly lit up by different lights and colors of varying intensities. A breeze of sky blue flows by him, bangs being blown by the soft movement, followed by other softer, gentler colors that swirl around him before eventually leaving somewhere behind him. He looks at each one as it passes, feeling a strange sensation in his chest with each color he sees, each one darker and darker than the last. Along with them, a flurry of emotions rises in his chest, dissipating before he ca even begin to put a label on them. Curious, he turns to attempt to find their destination, but they seem to vanish as soon as they pass him.

Despite being initially startled, Seokmin doesn’t feel fearful , rather there’s a deep instinct to venture on, to find out the source of it as the overwhelming horde of them slowly begins to diminish.

One last one catches his eye, a warm burgundy swirls around him, brushing against his cheekbone before it passes and Seokmin rests a hand against the skin of his own cheek as the sensation lingers. Warm, soothing adoration fills him at the contact and he smiles softly.

Quickly, the sight has all but flown by.

Except for one. 

A ball of black sits closer to him, like it’s the source of the darkness surrounding him and it hums with an intensity unbeknownst to Seokmin. Something in it draws him closer, kneeling by it and lifting a hand hesitantly, as though he’s not sure he should touch it. Not sure he’s allowed .

As soon as his hand comes within a couple centimeters, he feels it. Anger, worry, frustration, hurt - everything - and hushed whispers sound from it, becoming increasingly louder and Seokmin’s eyes widen as its movement too becomes more chaotic, vibrations becoming more like trembles and the ball suddenly seems very alive .

Strangely, Seokmin doesn’t feel an ebb of fear or unease, simply resting a hand on it after a few moments because the voices have nearly become shouts . At the volume, Seokmin can recognize some of the voices. Mostly his own and -

his mother’s too.

Once he hears her voice, his own coming from the orb becomes muted. The memories stored in this void slowly envelop him like a cold, sick embrace.

“It’s for your own good.”

“Seokminnie please-”

“I’m your mother!”

Only then do his hands tremble slightly, but he fights it, eyes squeezed shut.

“It’s okay.” 

he whispers gently, he’s not sure who it’s directed at necessarily.

Abruptly, its movement stops, resting against the ground with a dull thud. Feeling a pull, Seokmin carefully peels an eye open, maintaining his hand on it. The burning hot anger from it bleeds into a deep melancholy, then loud fear, bright relief, love and -

Seokmin thinks he knows then, his own eyes flicking through a myriad of colors, a reflection of the orb under his palm.

“ We’re okay.” 

Even as the word comes from his own mouth, the weight in his chest lifts. Similarly, the ball lightens marginally into a simple gray and Seokmin feels it pushing back against his hand. Startled, he takes his hand off, eyes following as it lifts into the air, floating in front of him. 

Gradually, it lightens, nearly glowing as it returns to a clean white and the room he’s in seems to follow, becoming an angelic hue of a sky blue. At that moment, a memory flashes through his mind, brought upon by his own awe.

“One of the first things you said to me when we met was that I was pretty…why?”

“Your energy speaks for itself.”

Seokmin thinks he understands now, having hated and detested this part of him his whole life because he’d been forced into it. Forced into everything he’s gone through by his mother’s hands, and yet, there’s a beauty to it. One Seokmin can’t help but accept along with his own qualms and trauma that lingers deep in his bones. Memories he can’t ever forget and will never be able to dismiss because they plague him on his worst days.

And yet, he stares at his reflection, finding nothing but peace , the beauty visible to even him now.

The hope in his chest turns into a deep relief then, and he smiles softly.

“We’ll be okay.”

A bright light fills Seokmin’s vision as he blinks awake, eyelashes fluttering against his cheeks as he blinks, attempting to hide from the fluorescent glow of the room light. Subconsciously, a groan leaves him and he throws an arm over his eyes, groaning again when an ache blooms around his shoulder at the motion, morphing into a whine.

“Seokmin-ah?” 

A low, soothing voice flutters around him, making him try harder to keep his eyes open and he lifts his head off the pillow.

“ Mingoo ?”

His tongue is heavy in his mouth, words slurring and he’s finally able to peel his eyes open. He rubs them slowly as he comes to, his vision focusing.

A wet laugh of relief leaves the Shadow and suddenly Seokmin is wrapped up in a strong pair of arms, efficiently waking him up as his face warms slightly. Mingyu’s arms are impressively tight around him, not suffocating, but the touch is grounding, a deep part of him lurching for more. Slowly, he returns the embrace, burying his face in the crutch of Mingyu’s neck.

All too quickly, Mingyu pulls back, hands on Seokmin cheeks and his eyes bore into his.

“How are you feeling? Does your shoulder hurt? Do you need water?” 

Mingyu asks, but he seems somewhat distracted as he rubs a thumb against Seokmin’s cheekbone, brown eyes never leaving his.

“No, I’m-” he croaks out a partial denial before coughing dryly and Mingyu quickly brings a cup under his lips.

“Slowly- drink slowly .” He warns as Seokmin grabs the cup a little too desperately, frantic concern painted over his features.

“I’m okay.” Seokmin finally says, smiling gently and returning Mingyu’s earnest gaze.

Then, the door slams open, making the both of them jump and Mingyu rips his hands off of Seokmin and tucks them behind his back.

Expectedly, Seungkwan nearly leaps at Seokmin, only held back by Joshua’s strong tug on his hoodie. Jeonghan follows behind quickly with a huff of amusement.

“Seungkwan-”

“Hyung!” He dramatically cries in relief anyway, squishing Seokmin’s cheeks between his hands, “how are you feeling?”

Similar to Mingyu, the three of them all seem to stare deeply into Seokmin’s eyes and he squirms a little at the weird attention.

“Um, my cheeks hurt.” He huffs, snorting when Seungkwan lets go of his face apologetically. Then, the younger turns to Mingyu who comically shrinks under his glare.

“You said you would tell us when he woke up.”

Mingyu rolls his eyes, lip curling in annoyance.

“He literally woke up two seconds ago.”

Seungkwan looks like he’s about to argue but Jeonghan places a placating hand on his shoulder.

“Mingyu’s right, Seungkwan-ah, I didn’t even have time to see the vision of him waking up.”

Seokmin’s a little surprised at Jeonghan’s defense of the shadow, looking around it seems Mingyu is too, puffing his chest in victory when Seungkwan just looks to the side.

“Anyway,” Joshua interrupts, crossing his arms, “seems like Minnie’s eyes are back to normal. How do you feel, Seokmin-ah?”

Seokmin tilts his head like a confused puppy.

“Back to normal?”

To be frank, he remembers very little before he passed out. Just the odd, burning pain spreading throughout his body and the exhaustion that both only seemed to settle in once the initial fight ended. Then, the flurry of emotions, an overwhelming sensation that seemed to ultimately shut his body down.

His dream - he’s not sure what to call it - right before waking up flashes through his mind, but Joshua’s already answering him.

“When you were…about to pass out, your irises weren’t the usual brown, Seokmin-ah, they were gray .”

Huh?

“Then they changed -  kept changing: pink, yellow, blue, red- until we finally got them back to a gray by calming down and moving away from you.”

“ You had to calm down?” Seokmin questions.

“Shua-hyung figured it out first,” Mingyu explains, squeezing Seokmin’s hand hesitantly, “you were feeding off of each of our emotions in the moment. Unwillingly, your mind was experiencing any sense of feeling around it, reading each one of us and interpreting our emotions as yours .”

Seungkwan frowns uncomfortably.

“We had to practically order you to fall asleep, that’s how vulnerable your mind was,” Seungkwan sighs, “since you’ve been asleep, your aura was shifting sporadically as your energy would spike then dip, but it’s back to normal again…white.”

“How long did it take?” Seokmin asks before restating the question: “how long has it been ?”

Silence encompasses the room.

“9 days since you first passed out.” Jeonghan answers, wincing but Seokmin isn’t particularly surprised. Still, an odd despondency fills him.

“Could it…happen again?”

They all have their eyes on him, waiting for him to elaborate.

“My body shutting down like it did, being overloaded.”

Uneasily, Joshua wrings his hands.

“I…I don’t know. I have a feeling it only happened because of the immense amount of stress you were under, physically and mentally, but I would be wary of consciously using your energy.”

“All we can say is it’s definitely shown an… evolution of your previous understanding of your abilities.” Seungkwan sighs.

“It was your mind resetting,” Jeonghan summarizes, “your body was in fight or flight mode and your white aura became a blank canvas.”

Reset.

“But I still feel more… ” Seokmin isn’t quite sure how to say it, “I can feel your worry, relief, anxiety, and overall energy more than ever before.”

He closes his eyes, thinking a little harder and he can feel a deep, tranquil indigo in the next room over.

“ Hell -   I can feel Hansol in the living room…”
He looks around the room but none of them seem particularly surprised.

“It’s hard to say, but that part of you has been locked away all these years, the fight must’ve triggered your survival instinct, your need for this ability.”

Seokmin looks down at the bed, at his hand that Mingyu continues to hold gently.

“I sensed Mingyu coming before Wonwoo did. I sensed Seungcheol’s hatred …right before he shot out that last projectile.” 

Then he looks to the clean bandage wrapped around his shoulder, peeking out from under his t-shirt. He misses the way Mingyu turns his head to the side, guiltily looking away.

“You said it yourself before, Seokmin-ah,” Joshua smiles a little sadly, “like it or not, being a medium means being an empath, it’s…”
He trails off, lips falling into a frown, a heavy realization settling upon him.

“...what your mom intended.”

Right.

His whole life, his mom’s ‘training’ has led to a moment like this. Where Seokmin has yet again ‘proved his potential’ . Yet, he finds bitterness simmering in his gut. Seokmin bites the inside of his cheek and they must sense his reluctance to speak because Joshua is already reaching for the door.

“I have one last dosage for your shoulder to give you in an hour, I’ll go make that…” Joshua tries to smile reassuringly, dragging Seungkwan with him by the younger’s wrist.

Jeonghan is more reluctant, but he sighs fondly, twirling Seokmin’s tousled hair through his fingers. 

“You hungry for anything in particular?”

Seokmin shakes his head, eyes distant as he stares into the light gray wall opposite of him.

“Not really...”

To be honest, he slowly started to lose his appetite as the conversation progressed. Jeonghan tsks softly.

“You have to eat something , Seok. Shua’s nutrition spells while you were asleep only give you so much sustenance.”

Seokmin hums in understanding, wanting to appease the older and he looks up at him.

“Ramyeon?”

Jeonghan’s expression falls into a relaxed upturn of his lips then, and he pinches his cheek gently before he too leaves. 

Then, Mingyu is left, looking torn even as his hand still holds Seokmin’s. It’s clear to him that Seokmin needs to absorb the whirlwind of information they’ve just thrown at him. Even though every fibre of Mingyu’s being would rather cease to exist than leave Seokmin again, the last thing he wants to do is overwhelm him by staying.

Utter reluctance and a self-inflicted hurt colors his tone.

“I should probably go-”

As soon as his grip loosens, Seokmin’s head turns, tightening the hold and there’s a plea in his eyes.

“Stay…please?” Seokmin nearly whispers.

Mingyu looks down at him, at their joined hands and a flash of deep red crosses Mingyu’s irises. At the same time, Seokmin senses a comforting warmth from their point of contact and he pulls Mingyu’s hand, encouraging him to come on to the bed.

Relief.

Fondness.

Love.

Mingyu sighs, the tension leaving him.

“Don’t worry, I’ll stay as long as you want me.”

Forever . Seokmin thinks, but he bites his tongue, just continues to pull their joined hands until they land in his lap.

At Seokmin’s insistence, Mingyu climbs onto the bed, settling himself next to Seokmin and the older sits up, resting his head on Mingyu’s shoulder. Their hands are still joined, but Seokmin is rubbing his thumb over Mingyu’s mindlessly, thoughts jumbled in his brain but the touch is grounding.

Seokmin casts his eyes to the window, realizing the sky’s darkened with a familiar twilight, a deep blue, almost black sky with speckles of stars. Distantly, he wonders if that’s why the others had come into the room so chaotically, his conscious state waking them from their slumber. It’s no wonder Mingyu was the only one in the room with him, likely having not slept in fear of missing Seokmin waking up. 

And he knows Mingyu doesn’t need as much as sleep as a regular person, but the guilt from before comes back tenfold and-

“I’m sorry.” 

It comes out in a whisper, like he’s confessing something he shouldn’t be.

A swirl of murky gray colors Mingyu’s otherwise neutral mood for a second and the younger’s confusion is evident, almost dipping into a pink with the trickles of red that make its way through.

Anger . Mingyu is angry.

It takes Seokmin a moment to realize it’s not directed at him.

“ Why are you - you have nothing to apologize for, Seokmin-ah.”

As usual, Mingyu’s voice is earnest, almost painfully so and he feels fondness bubbling up inside of him.

“You and Hansol are stuck here now, aren’t you? Just for keeping me alive…”

Seokmin reasons and his hand stills against Mingyu’s.

“No, Seokmin-ah,” Mingyu sighs, “we’re free . Free from their stupid, cruel standards and rules. Free from the shackles that tied me there my whole life, grounding me when I could’ve been here .”

Then, he cradles Seokmin’s face in one hand and Seokmin hates that there are tears stinging behind his eyes because the shame still hasn’t left him.

“It’s thanks to you,” Mingyu smiles softly, “Shua-hyung told me how hard you were trying to reach me, to get me out of there after you found me in your dream.”

Seokmin sniffles, laughing bitterly at the memory of waking Joshua up at 4am because of the dream he’d had.

“I was so worried about you- so scared for you.” Seokmin admits, starry eyes looking into Mingyu’s own glassy ones.

“ God , Seokmin-ah, I was almost dreading each time Hansol came to visit to give me whatever updates he could on you because I was so scared . Because they wouldn’t leave you alone no matter how hard I tried to keep them away. Because I knew you were hurting but I was just stuck waiting uselessly in a stupid cell.”

Mingyu takes a deep breath, eyes shining and the periwinkle surrounding him morphs quickly into a deep blue, sorrow folding over in waves.

“And even when I got the limiter off…when I was able to find you through Hansol,” Mingyu’s eyes fall to Seokmin’s shoulder, where he knows a scar will form from the puncture no matter how powerful Joshua’s medicine is, “you still got hurt under my watch and it made me wonder if all this pain you’ve been experiencing was just caused by me -”

Seokmin covers Mingyu’s hands on his cheeks with his own, hesitantly pressing his lips into the heel of Mingyu’s palm and there’s an intense spike of pink from Mingyu’s mood, his cheeks flushing the same color. Similarly, his eyes flash red yet again and Seokmin can’t help the gentle smile that forms on his lips.

“Mingyu-ah, I willingly took that shot for you. And had it not been for you, I would’ve suffered so many worse injuries. Even before the fight…you’ve saved me so many times. I’m indebted to you.”

Mingyu’s lips part with a partial awe, eyes enraptured by the sight before him. Seokmin, in a loose t-shirt that hangs unevenly on his frame, displaying the white bandage on his shoulder. His eyes which were sparkling with an undeserving guilt now sparkling with gratitude and sympathy, a mutual understanding of the events that have occurred between the both of them. So much of it was out of control, but they still found each other in the end. The way those glittering eyes find Mingyu’s and don’t fade in the slightest, if anything, shining brighter as he presses his soft lips against Mingyu’s palm again and Mingyu can’t look away.

Love .

Seokmin is the epitome of such utterly human love, something Mingyu’s always been seeking but was never allowed. Now, it’s in the palm of his hand, literally . Mingyu will do anything but ignore that feeling. Won’t do anything but cradle Seokmin’s heart in his hands preciously.

“How about…we call it even?” 

Mingyu breathes, leaning in so their foreheads are touching and Seokmin huffs an amused chuckle, nose crinkling with the weight of his smile.

“How about you kiss me, and then we’ll call it even?” 

Seokmin challenges. Mingyu raises a brow, but he’s so fond he can’t fight the toothy grin that makes his mouth upturn, eyes on Seokmin’s lips.

“I thought you were indebted to me .”

Seokmin returns the smug expression, pretending to lean back.

“Are you saying that you don’t want to kiss me-?”

Mingyu tugs him right back to him and finally presses their lips together and a million sparks seem to be set off at the contact. Even moreso than before, Mingyu’s warmth bleeds through every place he touches Seokmin: the strong hand on the back of his neck, the hand on his thigh, and of course, their lips. Despite Mingyu’s darker energy, his lips are soft as they move against Seokmin’s and the older makes a happy hum in his throat. He feels more than hears Mingyu’s exhale of laughter against his mouth before Mingyu nibbles his bottom lip and Seokmin sighs contentedly, going boneless in Mingyu’s arms.

All too quickly, Seokmin is losing his breath and he parts for air, relishing in the way Mingyu instinctively trails after him before pausing reluctantly, smiling so wide his canines poke through. Bright, boy-ish smugness colors him a hint of red.

“Breathless already?” 

Mingyu pokes fun at him and Seokmin can’t help the violent flush that spreads across his cheeks before pushing Mingyu’s face away from him. Hands on Seokmin’s waist now, Mingyu huffs petulantly, trying to bring Seokmin closer.

“Nope, you’ve lost your privileges,” Seokmin teases, “that’s what you get for making fun of me.”

Mingyu whines and Seokmin relents a little, only to see the indignation on the other’s face.

“I get to kiss you after waiting like a million years and now you’re telling me I’ve lost the right? Nuh-uh.”

Seokmin tries to muffle his cackle as Mingyu manhandles him into his lap before the younger is pressing kisses all over his face, lips leaving a warmth unfamiliar to Seokmin, but the sweetness of it all has him craving more. 

Simultaneously, he’s a little dizzy with the sensation combined with the undying, rose-tinted yearning that has been coloring Mingyu’s mood for the past few minutes. Despite the heaviness of it, Seokmin takes it in stride, eyeing the same warmth that bleeds from Mingyu’s irises which have been scarlet since they began kissing.

Mingyu leans in again, about to capture his lips, but he’s interrupted as a yawn escapes Seokmin. They both stare at each other for a moment before small giggles erupt from them both, giddy, happy, and so endeared . 

“Are you still sleepy?” Mingyu asks earnestly, “Shua-hyung said the meds for your shoulder might make you drowsy.”

Seokmin smacks his lips, shaking his head, but another yawn leaves him.

An edge of seriousness returns to Mingyu’s features, but he’s still smiling as he leans Seokmin back against the bed before laying beside him. Easily, Mingyu brings Seokmin’s back against his chest, burying his face in the back of his neck, short hairs tickling his cheeks.

“Do you want me to go see if your ramyeon is ready? You might want to eat before going back to sleep.” 

Mingyu asks softly, his voice muffled, but Seokmin just holds the arm around him tighter. The care and consideration has his heart fluttering, but he can’t imagine having Mingyu anywhere but right next to him in this moment.

“ Stay . Jeonghan-hyung can bring it in, he has legs.”

Mingyu snorts before agreeing, bringing him even closer and Seokmin goes without protest. 

Seokmin’s body may have been sleepy, but his mind seemed ever rampant with the events of the past couple minutes, the sensation of Mingyu’s lips against his flashing through his mind. He can’t help the smile that graces his lips as he brings a hand to softly touch his bottom lip, still swollen from where Mingyu had nibbled it affectionately.

It’s surprising how quickly Mingyu falls asleep behind him, the arms around him marginally relaxing and when Seokmin closes his eyes, feeling the energy of the Shadow, all he senses is a tranquil hue of cerulean . Belatedly, it makes him realize how exhausted Mingyu must be, likely having stayed up each night, waiting for Seokmin to wake up. The bags under his eyes were evident when he woke up and Seokmin had tried to dismiss it, but now the image is on the forefront of his mind.

Unwantingly, his guilt returns and he finds himself frowning, body tensing instinctively. 

Then, the arm over his waist tightens and Mingyu’s lips brush against the skin on his neck, a darker tinge of empathy and worry seeping into Mingyu’s mood.

“ ‘min-ah, it’s okay, go to sleep.”

Mingyu’s relaxed state around him bleeds into his own energy and he can no longer fight the pull of his own drowsiness, eyes fluttering close. With Mingyu by his side, Seokmin can’t help but believe everything truly will be okay from now on.

The sound of his alarm blares too close to Seokmin’s ear and he groans, slapping his hand around his nightstand to shut his phone off for the third time this morning. 

Feeling similar to his own reluctance to get out of bed, a warmth wraps around Seokmin’s middle from his front, soft hairs tickling his chin as Mingyu buries his face in Seokmin’s chest.

“Five more minutes.” Mingyu mutters, low voice muffled and Seokmin snorts out loud.

“C’mon, you said that twenty minutes ago,” he laughs, combing Mingyu’s hair through his thin fingers and it only makes the younger more sleepy.

“Mingyu…” Seokmin tries to argue, maybe even pull Mingyu out of bed but the death grip the Shadow has on him combined with his weight makes Seokmin fall back on the bed unceremoniously with a small yelp. His back against Mingyu’s chest, it’s even harder to get up now.

“Don’t wanna get up.” Mingyu mumbles against Seokmin’s back, pressing a kiss to the back of his neck and no matter how many times he’s done it, it still makes Seokmin flush.

“Maybe I want to get up.” 

Seokmin huffs, rolling his eyes when Mingyu’s arms tighten around him.

“Too bad.” 

He can practically hear Mingyu’s smile in his words and he himself fights a grin.

It’s almost overwhelming how quickly things have changed in the past several weeks, almost two months since Seokmin woke up from his body nearly shutting down on him. 

After a couple teasing and suggestive remarks from Seungkwan and Soonyoung, some words of warning from Jeonghan, and some gentle support from Joshua, Mingyu had pretty much moved in with Seokmin. To be fair, there was nothing much else he could do, and Seokmin even offered his couch to Hansol as well.

“Thank you, hyung…but I’d rather not be third wheeling 24/7.” 

Hansol remarks, grinning when Seungkwan snorts out a bit of his drink from next to him and Seungkwan places a hand on Hansol’s shoulder as he laughs aloud.

Seokmin ignores Hansol’s remark, watching the two with a raised brow.

“Well, Seungkwannie has a couch too…”

Despite his initial hesitation with his newfound ability to view the moods and emotions of those around him, he’s grateful for it in moments like these. Where Seungkwan’s ears turn pink as does his energy, and Hansol’s normally midnight blue becomes almost violet.

“Then I’ll be third-wheeling.” Jeonghan groans from the other room and Seokmin fights the laugh bubbling in his throat.

It’s been unusually peaceful since then, and a sick, anxious part of Seokmin is waiting for it to end. Waiting for one morning when he wakes up, the other side of his bed cold and for there to be something lurking under his bed instead. Like nothing’s actually changed and Seokmin is still utterly alone . He’s too used to it, he presumes.

Mingyu’s been helping to quiet any of those anxieties, assuring him Seungcheol won’t be bothering them for a long time, potentially never again. Seokmin can’t help but trust his words after everything they’ve been through together.

Truly, this has been the best several weeks of his life. Even with Mingyu’s attempts to relax him, he’s still hyperaware of his surroundings constantly, but he finds nothing trailing him, nothing lurking in his shadow when he walks home at night after work. A strange, unfamiliar delight fills him whenever he returns home for the day, Mingyu greeting him at the door, squishing his hands between his face and subconsciously scanning him for any injuries or abnormalities. At Mingyu’s fretting, Seokmin says nothing, given the events that have occurred the past few months, he can’t deny Mingyu’s worry is warranted.

It seems though, this change wasn’t only obvious to himself, but also visible to those around him.

“You seem so happy,” Minghao tells him the day he returned to work, “I mean- you were always acting happy, but you literally haven’t stopped smiling for the past half hour.”

“It’s gross.” Jihoon mutters from across the desk, but he himself is fighting a smile.

“It’s nice,” Chan chirps, having crashed into their office today, then he wiggles his eyebrows, “is hyung in love?”

A chorus of oohs and ahs come from the three of them as they pester Seokmin in their small office and he laughs through the flush adorning his cheeks.

Seokmin is pulled out of his thoughts by a low hum from behind, Mingyu smushing his own cheek into the pillow like it’ll help him fall back asleep.

“Mingyu.”

Seokmin calls, but the other hums out some sort of disagreement, shaking his head and his bangs tickle the back of Seokmin’s neck. Seokmin sighs, a fond noise escaping him.

“Mingyu-ah, if you don’t get up, I’m getting coffee without you-”

“I’m up.” 

Mingyu’s groggy voice nearly cracks as he shoots out of bed, running a hand through his hair.

Seokmin snickers knowingly.

“You don’t even like coffee.”

Mingyu turns to him then, a lazy grin on his sleepy face.

“No, but I like you.”

Never one to accept such blind, unadulterated affection, Seokmin sputters for a response, trying to hide the blush that reaches the tips of his ears as he gets out of their bed. But Mingyu’s already on to him, giggling.

“Why are you being so shy, hm?” Mingyu teases, prying Seokmin’s hands off his face.

“Mingyu-” Seokmin grumbles as the other smacks a wet kiss on his forehead.

“Let me indulge in this - in us ,” Mingyu smiles easily, “I’ve kept all my love for you hidden all this time-”

He freezes then and Seokmin stares up at him questioningly until his words settle.

Love .

Despite the elusive conversations and internal monologues he’s had about his love for Mingyu and his own discovery of Mingyu’s affections for him, neither of them have quite said it out loud. Hell, it took them nearly a month to even refer to each other as boyfriends, so caught up in each other that they’d forgotten labels were a thing.

Now, Seokmin is a witness to the nervous spike in Mingyu’s energy, the hot pink embarrassment with a hint of hope that floods him and the other covers his face timidly.

“Stop reading my mind, that’s cheating!” Mingyu whines, weakly pushing Seokmin’s face away like he wasn’t the one that got close to him in the first place.

Seokmin snorts fondly.

“You know that’s not how my ability works.”

“Yeah but I know you know what I’m thinking…” 

There’s an edge of unease to Mingyu’s tone, like he’s unsure if those feelings Seokmin can see are mutual. Like he thinks there’s a chance Seokmin doesn’t hold the same sentiment for him.

Silly. Mingyu is so silly.

Mirroring their earlier actions, Seokmin grabs Mingyu’s cheeks, staring deep into those eyes that have turned a lovely shade of red. It’s something Mingyu still tries to hide no matter how much Seokmin has voiced his fondness of it, the way Mingyu can’t hide how he feels.

“I love you too, Mingyu-ah.” 

Seokmin smiles softly, watching as the pink hues of Mingyu’s embarrassment simmer into a deep, passionate red. Mingyu’s eyes are wide, staring into his, and Seokmin isn’t sure why the other seems so surprised.

Quickly, Mingyu rests his hands on Seokmin’s hips to pull him close, pressing their lips together and it feels all too reminiscent of their first kiss, butterflies erupting in Seokmin’s stomach and he hopes he never gets used to the feeling.

He parts too quickly, Seokmin staring up at him with furrowed brows until Mingyu speaks.

“Lunch isn’t until 12 right?”

Slowly, Seokmin nods, confusion filling him until Mingyu spins them around, pushing Seokmin onto the bed and hovering over him. Seokmin gasps, staring up at Mingyu’s warm eyes.

“Good,” Mingyu breathes, “because I don’t want to stop kissing you anytime soon.”

Seokmin snorts at the cheesiness even as he’s sure his cheeks are pink again and he pulls Mingyu closer by the back of his neck.

“You sap.”

Mingyu hums in throught, brushing their noses together.

“Mmm, your sap.”

Seokmin hums in agreement.

“And I’m yours.”

Eagerly, Mingyu brings their lips together again and Seokmin relishes in the saturation of love, happiness, and content surrounding them, their energies mixing into a delightful cocktail that has Seokmin humming happily. In Mingyu’s arms, nothing else matters and all his worries vanish from his head.

In the beginning, Seokmin couldn’t keep himself from denying his own feelings, convincing himself he and Mingyu were never meant to cross paths in the first place. That he was a fool for thinking he could receive any sort of love, especially from someone who seemed so out of reach, untouchable.

And yet, Mingyu’s shown him so much more than anyone else in his life. He doesn’t brush over Seokmin’s own inhumanity, but he doesn’t make him feel outcast. Rather, Seokmin feels like himself when he’s with the other, with the abilities he’s spent a majority of his life trying to push to the back of his mind and all. That single-minded, persistent earnesty Mingyu holds, that passion ever present in their blossoming relationship and Seokmin wants to cherish it close to his heart for as long as possible.

As they kiss, he finds Mingyu’s hands, intertwining their fingers beside his head and he senses the warmth that emanates through their shared contact and it’s then that he truly believes it. That Mingyu holds the same sentiment of forever as adoration burns in his core, warming Seokmin’s heart.

Born initially from the dark shadows of their faults, hope grew, blossoming into an undying love.