Celestial Gratuity Pt. 2
Title: Celestial Gratuity Pt. 2
Author: althea 79_percent
Rating: PG-13
Form: Two-shots
Fandom: Shinhwa
Pairing: MinWoo x Everyone
Genre: Fluff; Humour
Notes: It's MinWoo's birthday and there's something in store for him from... someone special. Part one can be found here.
A Shinhwa - Lee MinWoo - Dedication
[Feat. BlackBeat]
"Celestial Gratuity"
Part 2 of 2
~*~
MinWoo slowly opened his door and peered outside. It had been relatively silent since he locked himself up, and he was beginning to feel hungry. He scanned the corridor and was slightly relieved that no one came up and tried to fight for him again. He crept against the wall and paused when he reached the end of the corridor. Closing his eyes, he braced himself for the worst as he forwent his shadow.
"Wooie~"
MinWoo cautiously opened one eye to see a seemingly hyperactive HyeSung bounded over to his side.
"I know you'd come out eventually," he grinned, pulling one arm towards the kitchen and finally pushed MinWoo down to settle on the chair. MinWoo just stared when he was presented with a plate of food on the dining table. He looked at the blonde, who was untying his apron, and gave him an inquisitive frown.
"It's your lunch, silly," HyeSung explained as he settled down in the seat across MinWoo.
MinWoo ate his lunch in pretty much a silence while HyeSung held his chin in one palm and propped himself on the table. MinWoo did not need to look up to see that the blonde was effectively staring a hole through his body. However, curiosity took over him and he stole a glance at the taller figure across him. He groaned inwardly as he saw the infatuated glint in those warm, blue eyes as the latter winked at him.
"Wooie," he cooed and MinWoo got a sudden chill. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"HyeSung," MinWoo started, fingering his chopsticks nervously. "You're horny."
"No, I'm not."
"Yes, you do.."
MinWoo was contemplating his choices when HyeSung climbed on the table and was dangerously nearing him. While he would be risking his friend's wrath if he carried out with plan A, he was toying with his chastity if he followed plan B, that was to let things occur naturally. It was either now or never. When HyeSung was just a few inches away, it was the look in his eyes that forced MinWoo to make his decision.
"Mianhae," he whispered, before one fist squarely landed on the other's pale cheek, sending the figure on the table sprawled on the floor.
"Ooww~" Came the pitiful moan from the floor. "Dammit, MinWoo, what was that for?"
MinWoo rushed to his friend's side and was having second thoughts of executing plan A. What if HyeSung did not return to his normal self even after he had "inflicted physical damage" to him?
"Sungie, are you okay? I didn't mean to hit you that hard.." MinWoo asked worriedly as he helped the other boy up.
"You can let me hit you from the table to know how it feels like," the blonde replied sarcastically, rubbing the side of his head. "I think I have a bump here.."
He looked down at his arm and whined, "I have a bruise!! MinWoo, you gave me a bruise!!"
MinWoo stared at his friend's face and smiled widely when he realised that his lead singer sported blue eyes no more. Those sapphire irises had turned back to their original deep brown and the best thing was, HyeSung did not look like he was a predator anymore.
"Yay, Sungie, you're back~" MinWoo squealed in delight as he threw his arms around the blonde. If the latter was not sitting down, the two would have hopped around in delight.
HyeSung frowned.
"What do you mean I'm back? I've always been here, have I.. not.." his words faltered. His face was drained of colour as snippets of his earlier advances towards MinWoo came gushing back in a flood of memories. He immediately grabbed the ecstatic MinWoo by his shoulders and demanded urgently, "Tell me I didn't kiss you. Tell me I didn't fight with DongWan over you in front of everybody."
"You did."
"For which?"
"Both.."
"Oh no~" HyeSung immediately sat up.
"MinWoo, I'm so, so sorry."
"No, it's-"
"Argh~" Before MinWoo could finish his assurances, HyeSung had bolted out of his vision and escaped into the vicinity of his room. MinWoo could only blink as he heard the blonde screaming.
"Eric!! Get ou- Since when do you have blue eyes?"
"Blue? I don't have-"
"Whatever, just get out please.."
Eric blinked in confusion as he was literally kicked out of the room. His perturbed expression immediately turned into a huge grin when he noticed MinWoo staring at him. It was his direction actually, but to Eric's perverted mind there and then, of course it was 'at him'. He rushed over to the kitchen and was pleased to realise that MinWoo was walking towards him as well.
"Couldn't wait for me to get there, could you, MinWoo darl-"
"You call me darling, I'm gonna hit you twice."
"Huh?"
"I'm sorry."
With that, MinWoo hit Eric on his face. But, unlike HyeSung, the older boy only held his reddening cheek with one hand and wailed loudly. "Wa~ Why did you hit me?"
MinWoo widened his eyes at Eric's still-blue irises. With a hurt expression, Eric started advancing towards MinWoo. MinWoo gave himself a maniacal laugh that seemed to convey that it was the end of his world before running towards the main door. "Dammit Eric, why are you so hard to put some sense into?" MinWoo whined. He immediately stopped when a loud thud broke his wail and turned to find a piqued Eric rubbing his butt.
"Who threw that stupid banana skin?" Eric's deep voice bellowed in the living room.
"Eric, you alright? You need-"
MinWoo ceased to finish his line when Eric's fist connected against his jaw and hit him hard.
"That's for hitting me earlier," Eric scowled.
MinWoo smiled triumphantly despite his throbbing jaw as he saw his leader's eyes turning a familiar shade of black.
He grinned sheepishly at Eric's irritated expression, while rubbing his sore jaw.
/Two down, three to go../
~*~
[Meanwhile]
"Heh, that worked didn't it?"
"JaeWon, stop throwing your rubbish on the earth."
"But JiHoonie, I'm helping him~"
"Yes, yes, I know.."
~*~
"Andy, get the first aid box from on top of the cupboard, please.." Eric asked, still frowning from the fact that his other three mates were still having cobalt-blue irises.
"Okay," came the cheerful response.
MinWoo eyed the fussing blonde beside him warily. If he did not know better, JunJin was effectively electrocuting him to death with such intensity in those twinkling blue eyes.
"Jinnie.."
"Yes?"
MinWoo shuddered at the tone JunJin was using in that single syllable.
"Could you release your grip a little?"
JunJin ignored the question as he fingered the bruised area on MinWoo's jaw.
"How could Eric do this to you?" He frowned, blue eyes scrutinising the split lip. "How could he inflict such damage on your handsome face?"
MinWoo almost gagged. He needed to "shock" JunJin soon, if he wanted his mental health to be intact. He never knew that having so many people falling in love with himself was such a scary circumstance. Now the problem was how to 'shock' the remaining three. He wouldn't mind hitting DongWan, and maybe JunJin, now that he had smacked the other two anyway.. But what about Andy? For him to hit such a sweet boy seemed to be a crime. And he was quite sure, now that Eric had regained his 'sanity', the leader would never forgive him if he punched his youngest dongsaeng.
"MinWoo~"
"What?" MinWoo's mind was still focused on Andy, who was dragging a chair to aid him in retrieving the first aid box. He was dimly aware of the figure latching himself even more firmly to his arm. He groaned as he felt JunJin nuzzling his neck. He looked down at the blond head snuggling on his chest and was about to push him away when he was stopped by a loud scream.
"WAH~"
"ANDY!!"
MinWoo widened his eyes as he saw his youngest friend was falling from the chair, which he was standing on. If JunJin was not so firmly attached to the left side of his upper body, he would have bolted and rescued the boy. Eric was too far to be able to save the falling boy. When things seemed to be out of control, MinWoo was waiting for a loud thud. However, when he heard none but a small sigh of relief, he cautiously cracked open an eye, only to see a relieved HyeSung and a still-surprised Andy stranded on top of each other on the hard kitchen floor.
"Thank.. Thank you.."
"Hey," HyeSung exclaimed as he checked Andy for any injury. "Your eyes are not blue anymore!!"
"Huh?"
While HyeSung was desperately trying to explain the situation to a confused Andy, MinWoo heaved a deep sigh of relief.
~*~
[Meanwhile]
"You could've hurt him, you know, breaking the chair suddenly like that.."
"I know," SangHoon smiled. "That's why I made HyeSung come out of his room."
"..But still-"
"JinYoung-ah, you worry too much."
~*~
"MinWoo, get a room, will ya?" Eric bellowed when he noticed that JunJin had MinWoo in his tight embrace and was effectively doing a good job in making MinWoo blush.
"Eric is jealoussss~" JunJin dragged the last word in a semi-mocking intonation as he, for the first time, broke his attention from MinWoo.
"Jin."
"Hm?" Happily, the short-haired blonde turned to face MinWoo. Without further warning, he found himself locked in a deep kiss with the boy he was supposed to be enamoured with. Unconsciously, he held his breath as MinWoo pressed their lips together. Eric immediately turned away while HyeSung just snickered from the kitchen, ushering a fascinated Andy not to spy anymore.
"Good boy," the blonde said in between his chuckles as he put one hand covering Andy's eyes. "Don't see your two brothers over there making out."
When MinWoo finally released the other boy, JunJin froze on the couch, brown eyes staring past MinWoo before he fainted.
The four figures blinked repeatedly at the motionless form on the white sofa and almost immediately, three pair of eyes stared accusingly at MinWoo.
"It's better than hitting him, isn't it?" MinWoo answered innocently. "I wonder why I didn't think of it sooner."
Eric made a sound. "I, for one, am glad that you didn't do it on me."
"Aw, I know you'd like it," MinWoo winked playfully as he rose from his seat. "Right, Sungie?"
The latter only laughed in return while he tended to the scratches on Andy's arm.
Stretching his exhausted body, MinWoo started to regain his cheer as the situation took a rather positive turn. Now, he would only need to shock DongWan. The boy in question was still cooped up in his room doing whatever thing that only he knew. Without his knowing, his feet had brought him in front of DongWan's room. He contemplated of whether to go in or just wait for the boy to come out by himself. Since he was already there, might as well get things over and done with, he decided. Hardening his resolve, he brought his clammy hands up and knocked on the door.
He waited for a while, before jumping when he heard a loud scream from inside the room. There was a short string of curses before the wooden door opened. MinWoo was pretty much surprised to see a seemingly normal, albeit grouchy, DongWan, who was busy blowing some air to the reddening digits of his right fingers, standing at the doorway.
"Oh, it's you!"
For a moment, MinWoo felt himself tensing up at the excited tone.
"Happy birthday~"
He had no idea what had happened to him, but he was thankful to whomever who had made DongWan's blue eyes back to black.
~*~
[Meanwhile]
"Did you really electrocute him?"
"Of course not, I just short-circuited his computer so that he got a little.. 'shock'."
There was a snicker followed by a flick of blond hair.
"Thanks for helping. I knew you wouldn't really clip our wings."
"You're welcome. But, please," his words carried a tinge of desperation. "Next time, stay out of trouble."
~*~
[[MinWoo's POV]
I had decided to take a small breather after all the occurrences that happened today. It had got to be the.. most fascinating birthday I'd ever had so far. I snickered, stuffing my hands deep in the recesses of my jeans' pockets. With a gift from the angels, it was bound to be extraordinary. I briefly recalled my encounter with the 2 angels earlier in the morning and pondered. Until then, I had never believed that angels, or beings like that, existed. I mean, you couldn't help but think like that when you've never really seen one, could you?
I slowed down my pace as I took in the familiar surroundings and pursued that gem of thought.
It was pretty.. flattering actually, to feel that so many people were in love with yourself at the same time. What more, one of them was the one that I had been secretly in love with since.. well, I couldn't remember. I blew a resigned sigh, making my bangs fly in the air. While having him to love me back was nice, it would not work that way.. Not when I knew that it was just a spell went awry. It only made matters worse for I have even lesser clue if he would ever reciprocate my feelings.
/If, one fine day, I gathered my guts and tell him, that is./
I looked at my right hand, which was clenched into a fist and sighed again. I needed to apologise to both Eric and HyeSung for hitting them. I needed to apologise to JunJin for shocking him like that. I need.. I need sleep. I think too much. Tilting my head to one side then the other, I felt the tension slowly seeping away as my neck made a cracking sound.
I broke into a small jog when I felt brief drops of rain falling against my shirt. While my mind needed more time to really reflect on what I should do, I decided not to pursue anymore psychological discovery there and then. My mind was already exhausted from the chaos it had to bear earlier. It could wait. My confession could wait. Of course.
I entered the house before slowly closing the wooden door behind me. I ran one hand through my damp hair and wondered where the others were. I glanced outside only to find the sun setting slowly, bathing the sky in dark orange glow. Frowning at the dark surroundings of the house, I kicked my shoes off and wadded towards the kitchen, forgetting to switch on the lights.
When I felt that the atmosphere was too silent for my comfort, I began to sweat nervously. This feelings were way too familiar.. It was the same one that I felt earlier in the day before everything went haywire. Just as I was about to open the glass door to the kitchen, I felt someone embracing me from my back.
"What the-"
"Ssshhh.."
I frowned, instinctively shutting my mouth. It had got to be one of the guys. I was almost sure of it. I was about to turn around and face whomever that person was, but was stopped by a gentle, seductive whisper at my ear.
"Wooie~" The voice was deliberately fluctuated to give an eerie accent, but I could put a name for its owner straight away.
"Wannie, what are you trying to do?"
Now, why did I have a sudden feeling of déjEvu? The last time I posed the exact same question to Jin and HyeSung was when they were out of their mind.
He did not give a reply to my enquiry. I could hear him chuckle, albeit silently, as he realised that his identity was a secret no more. I began to push his arms away when he still refused to release his grip. For a second time, I was stopped when I felt him kissing the back of my neck.
"DongWan!!"
"What?" He responded, ceasing all his advances.
/Don't tell me he's back to his berserk mode../
"I thought you're cured!!"
"I don't get what you mean.."
He, being of similar height to myself, put his arms around my shoulder, allowing his fingers to trace the contour of my face. Even in the dark, I could *feel* him smirking in amusement. He was actually doing a very good job in teasing me. I clenched my hands, preparing to "inflict some physical damage" to him, while he continued his work.
"Wooie," he called. I immediately held my hand in mid air as I paused. He had just planted a wet kiss on my cheek, the action that triggered the start of my fist. If he did not stop, I would have-
"Open the door," he instructed.
I just followed his order mechanically once he released his grip.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!"
There was a series of loud popping sound that almost deafened my ear drums before the kitchen was gradually illuminated by a few candles stuck on top of a relatively huge cake on the table.
"What are you guys.." I trailed off, pleasantly surprised at.. whatever was displayed in front of me. Eric had turned on the lights a while ago and I found the kitchen sloppily decorated with balloons, confetti and a small banner. Sloppy, for normal standard, but for my dearest family, it was already enough to make me tear.
/Never thought of me being the sentimental one huh../
"Don't tell me you've forgotten your own birthday," DongWan pointed out.
Actually, I didn't. It just slipped my mind despite the fact that I had been reminded over and over again throughout the day. Moreover, I wasn't expecting anything from the guys. Not after.. *cough* the earlier incident.
"Of course not.."
"Then why the surprised face?"
I turned to HyeSung, who posed the question, and smiled.
"I just didn't expect you guys to do this.."
If I weren't Lee MinWoo, I would've cried.
"Aw.."
"Tell us we're nice," Eric said smugly.
"You guys are nice," I started. "Minus you, Eric."
He playfully held my head in a dead lock and pretended to be hitting it.
"This is the last time I do anything for you, MinWoo."
"Eric, I was just joking!!" I laughed.
I turned to DongWan, who was laughing his head off, once our leader released his grip on my head.
"What was that about out there?"
"Oh!!" Eric piped up instead, grinning widely, before DongWan had a chance to reply. "We just wanted to give you another *surprise*."
"Can't you guys think of a better one?" I chuckled, amused at their notion of a surprise. The five of them just grinned back at me. I was relieved to confirm that DongWan, and the rest of the guys for that matter, had not succumbed to their berserk counterparts.
"Why you, Wannie?"
"He lost."
"At?"
"Scissors, paper, stone, of course!!" Eric beamed smugly, having won the game earlier five times straight, leaving DongWan with no room for more arguments.
After much commotion, in which the wind accidentally put the candles off and we couldn't find the lighter, the hardened wax sticks were finally rekindled. The best we had then was a miserable match stick that JunJin and Andy managed to scrounge from wherever they did. Then, I was presented with my birthday cake.
"Come on, blow the candles," JunJin urged.
"Make a wish, make a wish" Andy chirped in excitement.
I halted at that. After this morning and afternoon, I had better think twice before wishing for anything lest it backfired like today.
/We promise no more accidents./
I looked up at the ceiling, recognising the voice.
"Really?"
/Absolutely./
I grinned. "Thank you."
"Who're you talking to?" DongWan enquired, following my line of vision only to frown when he found nothing on the ceiling.
"No, nothing," I gave another laugh.
/Unless you want me to tell you that it was my guardian angel speaking./
"Make your wish," HyeSung said, gently pushing the circular cake with blue icing closer to me.
"I wish.. For nothing like today to happen again."
I could hear the guys snickering behind me and I could only suppress a small smile.
"And?" I heard Eric asking.
"And I wish.."
"Uhuh~" They sure seemed more eager to hear my wish more than I did myself.
"I wish for a life where I can be together with all of you, from now till the end of time," I concluded. I could hear the small 'aww'ing sound they were making and felt like smiling.
"Any more?"
Before I could stop myself, I found my head moving up and down in a slow motion.
"What is it?"
/I wish for him to love me back./
Before anyone could stop me, I blew off the candles.
"No fair," DongWan wailed. "You didn't tell us your third wish!!"
I just stuck my tongue out.
"I'm entitled to some privacy, Wannie, dear," I said in a jest.
DongWan put both hands on his neck as if ready to strangle himself as he made a gagging noise, when he heard me using the word 'dear'.
If there's another thing I love about and in my life, it's having them around and knowing that they would always be there, that they would still remain when the rest of the world had turned away.
~*~
"Hey.."
I turned around and saw him on the doorway.
"Can I come in?"
"Of course," I answered. Since when did we need each other's permission to enter a room?
He closed the door and took slow, unsure steps towards the bed, where I was perched on.
"What's up?" I asked, moving a little to give him more space on the bed. My heart fluttered a little at his smile.
"Erm.. About just now..."
I couldn't help but snicker when I remembered what he did to me earlier in the day.
"MinWoo, I'm trying to apologise here," he protested, frowning at my sudden outburst.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," I clamped my mouth shut despite the mirth that shone from my eyes.
"No, I'm sorry.. for acting like that," he started, running one nervous hand through his soft hair. For a split second, I was mesmerised at how he seemed so.. good looking that way, sitting at the side of the bed with long legs dangling off the edge. Why did he seem so different now that we're alone? So..
"MinWoo, are you listening to me?"
..breathtaking.
I shook myself out of my reverie, glad that I wasn't caught staring, even though I thought that it was quite obvious.
"Yeah.. I'm sorry for treating you that way too.."
We remained silent. I was starting to contemplate the prospect of telling him the truth when I recognised the slight guilt in his eyes. But then, I paused. I didn't think he would believe me if I said that 2 guardian angels, and later an additional 2, escaped from their celestial haven to warn me of their birthday present gone wrong. So, I happily settled with just staring at him while he played with my blanket. Amazingly, I didn't feel awkward despite the eerie silence.
"I didn't know what happened to me- us- whatever, but.." He trailed off.
/I knew what happened. But I don't think you'd believe me../ I thought inwardly.
"..But.."
I frowned when I saw him blush. Was that my hallucination, or was the room too hot for him? Weird, I sure did feel comfortable here.
"But.."
"But?" I encouraged him to continue, still puzzled as to why the pink streak on his face deepened.
".. I mean it when I said I love you.."
"Say that again?" It might sound stupid and not intelligent, but that was really my instinctual response. I saw him running his hand through his hair again in a habitual gesture and wetted his lips.
"I said," he started slowly. "I mean it when I said /I love you/.."
Only a dumb guy like me would stone upon receiving the declaration of love that he had been waiting all his life. I gaped when I saw his blush deepened. If my jaw could disconnect itself from my mouth, it would have touched the ground and rolled down the staircase.
He leaned forward and gave me a short kiss on the cheek before whispering a soft 'good night'. Then he bolted out of the room faster than what I need for my reflexes to function again.
/Dammit, how could I let him escape just like that?/ I could hear my alter ego screaming from the vicinity of my astonished, yet exhilarated, brain.
The small smile on my face was slowly transforming into a silly grin as I couldn't keep my lips together.
I think..
I think I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.
What a day.
~ END ~
Author: althea 79_percent
Rating: PG-13
Form: Two-shots
Fandom: Shinhwa
Pairing: MinWoo x Everyone
Genre: Fluff; Humour
Notes: It's MinWoo's birthday and there's something in store for him from... someone special. Part one can be found here.
A Shinhwa - Lee MinWoo - Dedication
[Feat. BlackBeat]
"Celestial Gratuity"
Part 2 of 2
~*~
MinWoo slowly opened his door and peered outside. It had been relatively silent since he locked himself up, and he was beginning to feel hungry. He scanned the corridor and was slightly relieved that no one came up and tried to fight for him again. He crept against the wall and paused when he reached the end of the corridor. Closing his eyes, he braced himself for the worst as he forwent his shadow.
"Wooie~"
MinWoo cautiously opened one eye to see a seemingly hyperactive HyeSung bounded over to his side.
"I know you'd come out eventually," he grinned, pulling one arm towards the kitchen and finally pushed MinWoo down to settle on the chair. MinWoo just stared when he was presented with a plate of food on the dining table. He looked at the blonde, who was untying his apron, and gave him an inquisitive frown.
"It's your lunch, silly," HyeSung explained as he settled down in the seat across MinWoo.
MinWoo ate his lunch in pretty much a silence while HyeSung held his chin in one palm and propped himself on the table. MinWoo did not need to look up to see that the blonde was effectively staring a hole through his body. However, curiosity took over him and he stole a glance at the taller figure across him. He groaned inwardly as he saw the infatuated glint in those warm, blue eyes as the latter winked at him.
"Wooie," he cooed and MinWoo got a sudden chill. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"HyeSung," MinWoo started, fingering his chopsticks nervously. "You're horny."
"No, I'm not."
"Yes, you do.."
MinWoo was contemplating his choices when HyeSung climbed on the table and was dangerously nearing him. While he would be risking his friend's wrath if he carried out with plan A, he was toying with his chastity if he followed plan B, that was to let things occur naturally. It was either now or never. When HyeSung was just a few inches away, it was the look in his eyes that forced MinWoo to make his decision.
"Mianhae," he whispered, before one fist squarely landed on the other's pale cheek, sending the figure on the table sprawled on the floor.
"Ooww~" Came the pitiful moan from the floor. "Dammit, MinWoo, what was that for?"
MinWoo rushed to his friend's side and was having second thoughts of executing plan A. What if HyeSung did not return to his normal self even after he had "inflicted physical damage" to him?
"Sungie, are you okay? I didn't mean to hit you that hard.." MinWoo asked worriedly as he helped the other boy up.
"You can let me hit you from the table to know how it feels like," the blonde replied sarcastically, rubbing the side of his head. "I think I have a bump here.."
He looked down at his arm and whined, "I have a bruise!! MinWoo, you gave me a bruise!!"
MinWoo stared at his friend's face and smiled widely when he realised that his lead singer sported blue eyes no more. Those sapphire irises had turned back to their original deep brown and the best thing was, HyeSung did not look like he was a predator anymore.
"Yay, Sungie, you're back~" MinWoo squealed in delight as he threw his arms around the blonde. If the latter was not sitting down, the two would have hopped around in delight.
HyeSung frowned.
"What do you mean I'm back? I've always been here, have I.. not.." his words faltered. His face was drained of colour as snippets of his earlier advances towards MinWoo came gushing back in a flood of memories. He immediately grabbed the ecstatic MinWoo by his shoulders and demanded urgently, "Tell me I didn't kiss you. Tell me I didn't fight with DongWan over you in front of everybody."
"You did."
"For which?"
"Both.."
"Oh no~" HyeSung immediately sat up.
"MinWoo, I'm so, so sorry."
"No, it's-"
"Argh~" Before MinWoo could finish his assurances, HyeSung had bolted out of his vision and escaped into the vicinity of his room. MinWoo could only blink as he heard the blonde screaming.
"Eric!! Get ou- Since when do you have blue eyes?"
"Blue? I don't have-"
"Whatever, just get out please.."
Eric blinked in confusion as he was literally kicked out of the room. His perturbed expression immediately turned into a huge grin when he noticed MinWoo staring at him. It was his direction actually, but to Eric's perverted mind there and then, of course it was 'at him'. He rushed over to the kitchen and was pleased to realise that MinWoo was walking towards him as well.
"Couldn't wait for me to get there, could you, MinWoo darl-"
"You call me darling, I'm gonna hit you twice."
"Huh?"
"I'm sorry."
With that, MinWoo hit Eric on his face. But, unlike HyeSung, the older boy only held his reddening cheek with one hand and wailed loudly. "Wa~ Why did you hit me?"
MinWoo widened his eyes at Eric's still-blue irises. With a hurt expression, Eric started advancing towards MinWoo. MinWoo gave himself a maniacal laugh that seemed to convey that it was the end of his world before running towards the main door. "Dammit Eric, why are you so hard to put some sense into?" MinWoo whined. He immediately stopped when a loud thud broke his wail and turned to find a piqued Eric rubbing his butt.
"Who threw that stupid banana skin?" Eric's deep voice bellowed in the living room.
"Eric, you alright? You need-"
MinWoo ceased to finish his line when Eric's fist connected against his jaw and hit him hard.
"That's for hitting me earlier," Eric scowled.
MinWoo smiled triumphantly despite his throbbing jaw as he saw his leader's eyes turning a familiar shade of black.
He grinned sheepishly at Eric's irritated expression, while rubbing his sore jaw.
/Two down, three to go../
~*~
[Meanwhile]
"Heh, that worked didn't it?"
"JaeWon, stop throwing your rubbish on the earth."
"But JiHoonie, I'm helping him~"
"Yes, yes, I know.."
~*~
"Andy, get the first aid box from on top of the cupboard, please.." Eric asked, still frowning from the fact that his other three mates were still having cobalt-blue irises.
"Okay," came the cheerful response.
MinWoo eyed the fussing blonde beside him warily. If he did not know better, JunJin was effectively electrocuting him to death with such intensity in those twinkling blue eyes.
"Jinnie.."
"Yes?"
MinWoo shuddered at the tone JunJin was using in that single syllable.
"Could you release your grip a little?"
JunJin ignored the question as he fingered the bruised area on MinWoo's jaw.
"How could Eric do this to you?" He frowned, blue eyes scrutinising the split lip. "How could he inflict such damage on your handsome face?"
MinWoo almost gagged. He needed to "shock" JunJin soon, if he wanted his mental health to be intact. He never knew that having so many people falling in love with himself was such a scary circumstance. Now the problem was how to 'shock' the remaining three. He wouldn't mind hitting DongWan, and maybe JunJin, now that he had smacked the other two anyway.. But what about Andy? For him to hit such a sweet boy seemed to be a crime. And he was quite sure, now that Eric had regained his 'sanity', the leader would never forgive him if he punched his youngest dongsaeng.
"MinWoo~"
"What?" MinWoo's mind was still focused on Andy, who was dragging a chair to aid him in retrieving the first aid box. He was dimly aware of the figure latching himself even more firmly to his arm. He groaned as he felt JunJin nuzzling his neck. He looked down at the blond head snuggling on his chest and was about to push him away when he was stopped by a loud scream.
"WAH~"
"ANDY!!"
MinWoo widened his eyes as he saw his youngest friend was falling from the chair, which he was standing on. If JunJin was not so firmly attached to the left side of his upper body, he would have bolted and rescued the boy. Eric was too far to be able to save the falling boy. When things seemed to be out of control, MinWoo was waiting for a loud thud. However, when he heard none but a small sigh of relief, he cautiously cracked open an eye, only to see a relieved HyeSung and a still-surprised Andy stranded on top of each other on the hard kitchen floor.
"Thank.. Thank you.."
"Hey," HyeSung exclaimed as he checked Andy for any injury. "Your eyes are not blue anymore!!"
"Huh?"
While HyeSung was desperately trying to explain the situation to a confused Andy, MinWoo heaved a deep sigh of relief.
~*~
[Meanwhile]
"You could've hurt him, you know, breaking the chair suddenly like that.."
"I know," SangHoon smiled. "That's why I made HyeSung come out of his room."
"..But still-"
"JinYoung-ah, you worry too much."
~*~
"MinWoo, get a room, will ya?" Eric bellowed when he noticed that JunJin had MinWoo in his tight embrace and was effectively doing a good job in making MinWoo blush.
"Eric is jealoussss~" JunJin dragged the last word in a semi-mocking intonation as he, for the first time, broke his attention from MinWoo.
"Jin."
"Hm?" Happily, the short-haired blonde turned to face MinWoo. Without further warning, he found himself locked in a deep kiss with the boy he was supposed to be enamoured with. Unconsciously, he held his breath as MinWoo pressed their lips together. Eric immediately turned away while HyeSung just snickered from the kitchen, ushering a fascinated Andy not to spy anymore.
"Good boy," the blonde said in between his chuckles as he put one hand covering Andy's eyes. "Don't see your two brothers over there making out."
When MinWoo finally released the other boy, JunJin froze on the couch, brown eyes staring past MinWoo before he fainted.
The four figures blinked repeatedly at the motionless form on the white sofa and almost immediately, three pair of eyes stared accusingly at MinWoo.
"It's better than hitting him, isn't it?" MinWoo answered innocently. "I wonder why I didn't think of it sooner."
Eric made a sound. "I, for one, am glad that you didn't do it on me."
"Aw, I know you'd like it," MinWoo winked playfully as he rose from his seat. "Right, Sungie?"
The latter only laughed in return while he tended to the scratches on Andy's arm.
Stretching his exhausted body, MinWoo started to regain his cheer as the situation took a rather positive turn. Now, he would only need to shock DongWan. The boy in question was still cooped up in his room doing whatever thing that only he knew. Without his knowing, his feet had brought him in front of DongWan's room. He contemplated of whether to go in or just wait for the boy to come out by himself. Since he was already there, might as well get things over and done with, he decided. Hardening his resolve, he brought his clammy hands up and knocked on the door.
He waited for a while, before jumping when he heard a loud scream from inside the room. There was a short string of curses before the wooden door opened. MinWoo was pretty much surprised to see a seemingly normal, albeit grouchy, DongWan, who was busy blowing some air to the reddening digits of his right fingers, standing at the doorway.
"Oh, it's you!"
For a moment, MinWoo felt himself tensing up at the excited tone.
"Happy birthday~"
He had no idea what had happened to him, but he was thankful to whomever who had made DongWan's blue eyes back to black.
~*~
[Meanwhile]
"Did you really electrocute him?"
"Of course not, I just short-circuited his computer so that he got a little.. 'shock'."
There was a snicker followed by a flick of blond hair.
"Thanks for helping. I knew you wouldn't really clip our wings."
"You're welcome. But, please," his words carried a tinge of desperation. "Next time, stay out of trouble."
~*~
[[MinWoo's POV]
I had decided to take a small breather after all the occurrences that happened today. It had got to be the.. most fascinating birthday I'd ever had so far. I snickered, stuffing my hands deep in the recesses of my jeans' pockets. With a gift from the angels, it was bound to be extraordinary. I briefly recalled my encounter with the 2 angels earlier in the morning and pondered. Until then, I had never believed that angels, or beings like that, existed. I mean, you couldn't help but think like that when you've never really seen one, could you?
I slowed down my pace as I took in the familiar surroundings and pursued that gem of thought.
It was pretty.. flattering actually, to feel that so many people were in love with yourself at the same time. What more, one of them was the one that I had been secretly in love with since.. well, I couldn't remember. I blew a resigned sigh, making my bangs fly in the air. While having him to love me back was nice, it would not work that way.. Not when I knew that it was just a spell went awry. It only made matters worse for I have even lesser clue if he would ever reciprocate my feelings.
/If, one fine day, I gathered my guts and tell him, that is./
I looked at my right hand, which was clenched into a fist and sighed again. I needed to apologise to both Eric and HyeSung for hitting them. I needed to apologise to JunJin for shocking him like that. I need.. I need sleep. I think too much. Tilting my head to one side then the other, I felt the tension slowly seeping away as my neck made a cracking sound.
I broke into a small jog when I felt brief drops of rain falling against my shirt. While my mind needed more time to really reflect on what I should do, I decided not to pursue anymore psychological discovery there and then. My mind was already exhausted from the chaos it had to bear earlier. It could wait. My confession could wait. Of course.
I entered the house before slowly closing the wooden door behind me. I ran one hand through my damp hair and wondered where the others were. I glanced outside only to find the sun setting slowly, bathing the sky in dark orange glow. Frowning at the dark surroundings of the house, I kicked my shoes off and wadded towards the kitchen, forgetting to switch on the lights.
When I felt that the atmosphere was too silent for my comfort, I began to sweat nervously. This feelings were way too familiar.. It was the same one that I felt earlier in the day before everything went haywire. Just as I was about to open the glass door to the kitchen, I felt someone embracing me from my back.
"What the-"
"Ssshhh.."
I frowned, instinctively shutting my mouth. It had got to be one of the guys. I was almost sure of it. I was about to turn around and face whomever that person was, but was stopped by a gentle, seductive whisper at my ear.
"Wooie~" The voice was deliberately fluctuated to give an eerie accent, but I could put a name for its owner straight away.
"Wannie, what are you trying to do?"
Now, why did I have a sudden feeling of déjEvu? The last time I posed the exact same question to Jin and HyeSung was when they were out of their mind.
He did not give a reply to my enquiry. I could hear him chuckle, albeit silently, as he realised that his identity was a secret no more. I began to push his arms away when he still refused to release his grip. For a second time, I was stopped when I felt him kissing the back of my neck.
"DongWan!!"
"What?" He responded, ceasing all his advances.
/Don't tell me he's back to his berserk mode../
"I thought you're cured!!"
"I don't get what you mean.."
He, being of similar height to myself, put his arms around my shoulder, allowing his fingers to trace the contour of my face. Even in the dark, I could *feel* him smirking in amusement. He was actually doing a very good job in teasing me. I clenched my hands, preparing to "inflict some physical damage" to him, while he continued his work.
"Wooie," he called. I immediately held my hand in mid air as I paused. He had just planted a wet kiss on my cheek, the action that triggered the start of my fist. If he did not stop, I would have-
"Open the door," he instructed.
I just followed his order mechanically once he released his grip.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!"
There was a series of loud popping sound that almost deafened my ear drums before the kitchen was gradually illuminated by a few candles stuck on top of a relatively huge cake on the table.
"What are you guys.." I trailed off, pleasantly surprised at.. whatever was displayed in front of me. Eric had turned on the lights a while ago and I found the kitchen sloppily decorated with balloons, confetti and a small banner. Sloppy, for normal standard, but for my dearest family, it was already enough to make me tear.
/Never thought of me being the sentimental one huh../
"Don't tell me you've forgotten your own birthday," DongWan pointed out.
Actually, I didn't. It just slipped my mind despite the fact that I had been reminded over and over again throughout the day. Moreover, I wasn't expecting anything from the guys. Not after.. *cough* the earlier incident.
"Of course not.."
"Then why the surprised face?"
I turned to HyeSung, who posed the question, and smiled.
"I just didn't expect you guys to do this.."
If I weren't Lee MinWoo, I would've cried.
"Aw.."
"Tell us we're nice," Eric said smugly.
"You guys are nice," I started. "Minus you, Eric."
He playfully held my head in a dead lock and pretended to be hitting it.
"This is the last time I do anything for you, MinWoo."
"Eric, I was just joking!!" I laughed.
I turned to DongWan, who was laughing his head off, once our leader released his grip on my head.
"What was that about out there?"
"Oh!!" Eric piped up instead, grinning widely, before DongWan had a chance to reply. "We just wanted to give you another *surprise*."
"Can't you guys think of a better one?" I chuckled, amused at their notion of a surprise. The five of them just grinned back at me. I was relieved to confirm that DongWan, and the rest of the guys for that matter, had not succumbed to their berserk counterparts.
"Why you, Wannie?"
"He lost."
"At?"
"Scissors, paper, stone, of course!!" Eric beamed smugly, having won the game earlier five times straight, leaving DongWan with no room for more arguments.
After much commotion, in which the wind accidentally put the candles off and we couldn't find the lighter, the hardened wax sticks were finally rekindled. The best we had then was a miserable match stick that JunJin and Andy managed to scrounge from wherever they did. Then, I was presented with my birthday cake.
"Come on, blow the candles," JunJin urged.
"Make a wish, make a wish" Andy chirped in excitement.
I halted at that. After this morning and afternoon, I had better think twice before wishing for anything lest it backfired like today.
/We promise no more accidents./
I looked up at the ceiling, recognising the voice.
"Really?"
/Absolutely./
I grinned. "Thank you."
"Who're you talking to?" DongWan enquired, following my line of vision only to frown when he found nothing on the ceiling.
"No, nothing," I gave another laugh.
/Unless you want me to tell you that it was my guardian angel speaking./
"Make your wish," HyeSung said, gently pushing the circular cake with blue icing closer to me.
"I wish.. For nothing like today to happen again."
I could hear the guys snickering behind me and I could only suppress a small smile.
"And?" I heard Eric asking.
"And I wish.."
"Uhuh~" They sure seemed more eager to hear my wish more than I did myself.
"I wish for a life where I can be together with all of you, from now till the end of time," I concluded. I could hear the small 'aww'ing sound they were making and felt like smiling.
"Any more?"
Before I could stop myself, I found my head moving up and down in a slow motion.
"What is it?"
/I wish for him to love me back./
Before anyone could stop me, I blew off the candles.
"No fair," DongWan wailed. "You didn't tell us your third wish!!"
I just stuck my tongue out.
"I'm entitled to some privacy, Wannie, dear," I said in a jest.
DongWan put both hands on his neck as if ready to strangle himself as he made a gagging noise, when he heard me using the word 'dear'.
If there's another thing I love about and in my life, it's having them around and knowing that they would always be there, that they would still remain when the rest of the world had turned away.
~*~
"Hey.."
I turned around and saw him on the doorway.
"Can I come in?"
"Of course," I answered. Since when did we need each other's permission to enter a room?
He closed the door and took slow, unsure steps towards the bed, where I was perched on.
"What's up?" I asked, moving a little to give him more space on the bed. My heart fluttered a little at his smile.
"Erm.. About just now..."
I couldn't help but snicker when I remembered what he did to me earlier in the day.
"MinWoo, I'm trying to apologise here," he protested, frowning at my sudden outburst.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," I clamped my mouth shut despite the mirth that shone from my eyes.
"No, I'm sorry.. for acting like that," he started, running one nervous hand through his soft hair. For a split second, I was mesmerised at how he seemed so.. good looking that way, sitting at the side of the bed with long legs dangling off the edge. Why did he seem so different now that we're alone? So..
"MinWoo, are you listening to me?"
..breathtaking.
I shook myself out of my reverie, glad that I wasn't caught staring, even though I thought that it was quite obvious.
"Yeah.. I'm sorry for treating you that way too.."
We remained silent. I was starting to contemplate the prospect of telling him the truth when I recognised the slight guilt in his eyes. But then, I paused. I didn't think he would believe me if I said that 2 guardian angels, and later an additional 2, escaped from their celestial haven to warn me of their birthday present gone wrong. So, I happily settled with just staring at him while he played with my blanket. Amazingly, I didn't feel awkward despite the eerie silence.
"I didn't know what happened to me- us- whatever, but.." He trailed off.
/I knew what happened. But I don't think you'd believe me../ I thought inwardly.
"..But.."
I frowned when I saw him blush. Was that my hallucination, or was the room too hot for him? Weird, I sure did feel comfortable here.
"But.."
"But?" I encouraged him to continue, still puzzled as to why the pink streak on his face deepened.
".. I mean it when I said I love you.."
"Say that again?" It might sound stupid and not intelligent, but that was really my instinctual response. I saw him running his hand through his hair again in a habitual gesture and wetted his lips.
"I said," he started slowly. "I mean it when I said /I love you/.."
Only a dumb guy like me would stone upon receiving the declaration of love that he had been waiting all his life. I gaped when I saw his blush deepened. If my jaw could disconnect itself from my mouth, it would have touched the ground and rolled down the staircase.
He leaned forward and gave me a short kiss on the cheek before whispering a soft 'good night'. Then he bolted out of the room faster than what I need for my reflexes to function again.
/Dammit, how could I let him escape just like that?/ I could hear my alter ego screaming from the vicinity of my astonished, yet exhilarated, brain.
The small smile on my face was slowly transforming into a silly grin as I couldn't keep my lips together.
I think..
I think I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.
What a day.
~ END ~