Playing Games
Title: Playing Games
Author: Kurokitsune09
Rating: PG (for a few cursing curse)
Genre: General/Romance
Focus: HaeFany
Sub-Focus: Doojoon, Yoseob, Yuri, Taemin (cameos)
Notes: It started off really well then it got a little weird. I’m sorry the ending is bizarre. I hope you all like it though ^^ A companion piece to Hi-Yeom and Because Maybe No spots because I'm lazy lol The Link of Because Maybe has been edited lol ^^
Summary: It’s hard to confess when you’ve screwed up and is covered in champagne and wine.
“Fany-ah,” she realizes that somewhere between talking to Kim Jonghyun and turning around when Son Dongwoon screamed because of Lee Kikwang, the (semi) bane of her existence had sidled up directly behind her. The slow purr of her name and his breath against the backs of her ears and cheeks makes her scream and she spins around in surprise, eyes wide, cheeks flushing pink, clutching her (thankfully empty) tray to her chest and he’s got a (teasing) charming grin stretching across his lips. Some attention is diverted towards them and she sees Dongwoon turn his head towards them and fellow worker Yoon Doojoon shoot her a semi-worried look before she turns back to the man in front of her. His grin turns into a teasing (and cute) smirk and he shifts his weight, cocking a hip slightly. “Did I scare you Fany-ah?”
The way her name (well, a shortened version of it anyways but still) rolls off his tongue causes her to hold back a shiver and she scowls at him, her knuckles whitening over her tray as she clutches it tighter to her. Of course, not even scowling or threatening to cut his balls off (probably anyways) would dampen his spirits and Lee Donghae, the ever (kinda cute and semi) annoying older brother of her boss Lee Taemin (who was actually under aged and working at the bar for the evening) just grins at her, his eyes lighting up and a hand slides into his semi-formal blazer. Hwang Miyoung (aka Tiffany) bits back a curse because she remembers that she’s at a social event for Im Yoona’s latest movie (even though everyone is used to seeing Lee Donghae and Hwang Miyoung at odds with each other like children) and she forces herself to relax, her eyes closing as she takes a deep breath to calm herself.
It works for all of two seconds then a finger pokes her cheeks. Her eyes open and she’s staring at Donghae. Tiffany is a little bit disoriented and he pokes her cheeks again. Her cheeks are about to puff up in irritation when he beams and for a moment, she’s a little bit stunned because she had forgotten how beautiful his smile was and Tiffany’s cheeks end up flushing bright red when he swoops in, kisses her cheek quickly and runs off, his taller form disappearing into the crowds. Tiffany is a little stunned and when reality catches up with her, she swears lowly, furiously in English, which causes a few surprised stares, and she screams after Donghae’s rapidly retreating back. Her tray is being moved from her chest and Doojoon barely has time to register anything as Donghae dashes past him and Tiffany is letting her tray fly.
Her aim is amazing and Donghae ducks, followed by Doojoon. The only problem is that Doojoon’s duck is a little too late and he’s lying a little dazed on the ground as Tiffany, blushing to the tips of her ears, hurries over and bends to pick up her tray. She bites her lips as she hears Donghae’s somewhat crazed cackle and if she hadn’t hit anyone with her tray, you could bet that she would be rushing after him. But she did, instead of running after the actor like she wanted, she bent down to help the other waiter to his feet with an embarrassed, “Doojoon-ah, I’m sorry,”
Of course, even with a big ol’ red spot blossoming on the corner of his skull, just barely hidden by his somewhat scary fringe, Doojoon just grins, smiling at her as his hand moves to the side of his head, prodding gently at the mark. He winces when he touches it and it only serves to make Tiffany more miserable and she bites her lip, looking down and she fusses with the ends of her skirt. Doojoon lets out a light sigh and pats her hair.
“I’m fine Fany-ah. And one day you’ll catch Donghae-hyung,” Tiffany, a little miserable and guilty, just nods and sniffs lightly. Doojoon winces and he spots Donghae watching with a grin from above a few heads and he resists the urge to shake his head in frustration because honestly, if you wanted to get a girl that was not the-
Doojoon’s internal monologue is cut short a few dozen lines when Tiffany suddenly wails unhappily, her voice just under a low shriek, “Why just tease me?!” and he watches helplessly as Tiffany wipes her hand across her eyes and she’s flying towards Taemin at the bar. When she gets there, Taemin gives her an apologetic smile and she tries to smile back but the tears starting to gather at her eyes is making it hard.
“I’m sorry for Donghae-hyung noona,”
At one time, Tiffany would have said it was fine, that Donghae-oppa was cute but now, Tiffany knows that she would be lying. It would have been cute if she didn’t fucking fall for him in the first place.
~*~*~
On the other side of the room, completely oblivious to Tiffany’s emotional state, Dongahe is grinning like a madman in a little corner, watching as Tiffany and his brother interact. He’s a little oblivious to a few disapproving stares and he grins, nodding to Doojoon as the younger man approaches him, a tray tucked under his arm, a disapproving frown on his lips and a pretty unhappy Kwon Yuri behind him. He raises a hand in greeting, his eyes leaving Tiffany’s form as he says brightly, “Alright there Doojoon-ah? Fany-ah’s throw looked quite hard,”
His question is met with an annoyed huff and Donghae grins a little wider and with a clap to Doojoon’s shoulder, he quips, “You’ve a hard head right Doojoon-ah?”
“Hyung,” Doojoon’s voice is low, a little dark and Donghae blinks as the air suddenly becomes serious, much more serious than he’s accustomed to. Yuri is frowning and her arms are crossing at her chest. “My head aside, I think you’re going to far with this one sided push-pull game of yours. Tiffany-ah’s really upset this time,”
“Fany-ah’s a nice girl Donghae-oppa, she doesn’t need to deal with this,” Yuri adds lightly, her eyes flickering as Tiffany pastes on a smile at the bar and with a tray of champagne and expensive white wine, proceeds to meld into the crowds, some of them asking how she was. Watching as she replied with her signature eye smile. “She’s a nice girl oppa. Stop playing,”
“Just tell her you love her,” Doojoon’s voice is protective and Donghae coughs into his hand. “I’m sure Fany-ah-“
“But Doojoon-ah, where’s the fun in that? Fany-ah is so cute when she’s mad,” Yuri sighs and Donghae knows that if he had been a character in a manga, he’d have stars in his eyes right now. After a moment, Doojoon gives a defeated sigh and lightly pats Donghae’s shoulder with a light, “Sometimes, I wonder what goes on in your brain hyung. You’ll lose people this way,”
“What?” and it’s Yuri who says solemnly, “You’ll lose Fany-ah this way Donghae-oppa. Only you’re finding amusement in this game. She isn’t,”
Donghae blinks and he somehow manages to smile.
“Never happen, Fany-ah loves me too much,” Donghae chirps and he’s smiling but his heart tries not to sputter in worry in his chest. Doojoon sighs and he exchanges a low word with Yuri that Donghae doesn’t catch because now inwardly worried, Donghae is actively hunting for Tiffany’s head in the crowds. His attention is drawn when Doojoon sighs again and claps his shoulders.
“For your sake I hope so hyung,” and Doojoon is off, melting into the world of actors, actresses and workers. Yuri stays a little bit longer, her lips pursing into a frown.
“Oppa,” she starts and Donghae looks at her. She doesn’t finish her sentence and instead she just shakes her heard and mutters something about stupid actors and the male ego, lightly slapping the upside of his head once before disappearing, leaving Donghae alone. Donghae frowns at being abandoned before he slips from his corner and out into the crowds, deep in thought because he knows that it isn’t a game. It never was.
He’s not in them for more than a few seconds when something barrels into him. Donghae blinks and the next instant, he smells of wine and champagne and Tiffany’s staring at him, her tray and glass littering the floor. Donghae opens his mouth to apologize because he hadn’t seen her and his words gets caught in his throat when he notices that her lower lip is quivering and that her eyes are puffy and scarily bright. Donghae is steps from panicking when Doojoon, even though he probably had been somewhere far away and a blond haired actor Donghae worked with once before, Yang Yoseob, steps in.
Doojoon is quick to tell the patrons that the two of them are fine and Yoseob strips of his outer jacket and draping it over Tiffany’s champagne and wine drenched form. Donghae is still staring at her because she looks hurt and his chest is clenching tightly and her lower lip quivers even more.
“Fany-ah I-“ he starts and his voice cracks oddly. The two of them turn as Taemin approaches, the younger man having abandoned his post at the bar, handing it off to another worker and the stare he gives his brother makes him flinch.
“Go clean up the two of you, Doojoon-hyung, the others and I will clean up here,” Tiffany nods and she turns, Donghae, feeling like the biggest asshole in the world, following quietly. Taemin catches his arm before he passes completely. “Hyung, fix this before the two of you are broken beyond repair,”
All Donghae does is hurry after Tiffany.
~*~*~
“Fany-ah!” Tiffany wants to scream when he catches her arm as she’s just steps from the women’s bathroom and Donghae spins her around. Tiffany squirms and her hair flutters around her face, Yoseob’s jacket sliding off her shoulders and she stares up at him.
“Let go!” her voice is choked and Donghae fells like the worlds biggest asshole at that point. His grip on her arm slackens and Tiffany trembles, her head bowing.
“Fany-ah I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-“ and she cuts him off angrily, tears brimming at her eyelashes and spilling over her cheeks.
“You never mean anything do you?” she snaps, sniffling and she runs a hand over her eyes. Donghae silences and Tiffany hiccups. “You never mean anything!” Donghae doesn’t answer and it feels like thousands of needles are stabbing him, both him and her through the chest. She inhales shakily and she steps backwards, away from him. She looks up from beneath droplet-rimmed eyelashes. “I’m not your toy. And this isn’t a game I’m playing,”
“Fany-ah,” she shakes her head and Donghae feels his breath catch because this is what Doojoon and Yuri were talking about just moments before. She had enough, she wasn’t his toy but to Donghae, it was hard to understand because it had never been a game. Never.
“I’m done Donghae-oppa,” and all of a sudden, Tiffany is far from his reach. Very far from his reach and Donghae can only stand there dumbly as she picks up Yoseob’s jacket and slips into the women’s bathroom. He hears the lock click and Donghae exhales hard, staggering to the wall and sliding down it, his body a few inches from the women’s bathroom.
“This was never a game Fany-ah,” his voice is quiet and he’s probably the only one who hears and Donghae buries his head into his arms. There’s a moment where he’s silent then he brings his head back up, his hand moving to scratch a little bit a the door. He doesn’t hear water running and he just knows that she’s standing with her back to the door, waiting, waiting. “It never was. And everyone knows that it isn’t. They know that I’m terrified of losing you, that you’ll just disappear and vanish from my sight,” His head drops. “It scares me. It scares me a lot more than anything ever has. It scares me that I let you become such a big part of my life that I can’t imagine it without you. I can’t see myself never seeing your smile, hearing your voice, your laugh, or never seeing you,”
“I can’t see myself without you,” he sighs, his hand running through his hair. “If I could only turn back time, I’d tell myself not to lose you. I’ll tell myself that you would mean more to me than anything in the world and,” his hand scratches at the doors and he looks up for a moment, a second to see some of the more worried people stand at he end of the hall as his voice fades lightly. Donghae throws them a bitter smile and Taemin’s shoulders sag. They’re too far away to hear him and he continues softly, “Fany-ah, if in the next life I ever get to meet you, I won’t ever let you go then,”
The door suddenly opens and Donghae, as well as everyone else at the end of the hall is staring at Tiffany. Her cheeks are blotchy, eyes red and her lips are quivering. Donghae staggers to his feet in surprise and the others are stopped in their run. Tiffany sniffs and she turns to face him.
“Stop using lines from my favorite drama,” for a moment, Donghae is stupefied and Tiffany wipes her nose and eyes. When she looks back at him, her eyes flicker and Donghae can almost sense that she’s trying hard to take that first step, that first step into believing him. Her voice shakes and she manages to get out a quiet, “Come up with your own,”
Donghae is still, very still and then, he slowly drops. In the background, he can hear Yuri hiss something and Taemin shushing her but all he’s aware of is a weight in his chest, a weight in his heart that he’s been carrying for a long time. He drops to a knee and Tiffany stares. The box is in his hands and he cracks it open, the hinges squeak from months of being in his pocket.
“Let me watch you grow old,” he licks his lips. “Let us grow old together,” His voice, due to nerves, fear, everything cracks a bit and Donghae continues, “Let me show you I’m not playing, that you’re my everything,” she steps forward and his voice cracks again. “Marry me,”
Behind him explodes into noise, white noise maybe but he can make out Taemin’s incredulous, “NOW?! You pop the question now?! Hyung-really?! Have you even-gah!!” but all he’s waiting for is her answer.
“Oppa,” her voice is tiny and Donghae is nervous as she approaches him. He’s smells the wine and champagne and she manages a small smile. “If I let you show me, let you watch me grow old,” his heart sputters almost in his chest. “If we meet again in the next life, will you propose to me the same way?”
“Every time,” Tiffany’s tears are lessening now but at his answer, she kind of frowns.
“Oppa, I don’t want to marry someone who will make me cry and so frustrated because of his stupidity,” there’s a moment and Donghae sputters, his eyes widening.
To all spectators, it’s the weirdest thing because they had been fighting just moments ago. Fighting and on the verge of breaking and never recovering and now they’re watching as Donghae flails his arms, after closing the ring box of course.
“Bu-but you love my stupidity!” and she pauses, tapping her chin. Then, while he’s in the middle of a protest to her decision, she sweeps in and kisses him. His mind pretty much blanks and he manages a hoarse, “Fany-ah,”
“But I will this time, because I love you and your stupidity and your dense moments,” she smiles. “But in the next life, try to come up with more original lines,” the rest of her words are swallowed/turned into a squeal and he happily pulls her into a hug and twirls her around.
The white noise is slowly turning into cheering and Donghae settles Tiffany gently on the ground. He kisses her.
Author: Kurokitsune09
Rating: PG (for a few cursing curse)
Genre: General/Romance
Focus: HaeFany
Sub-Focus: Doojoon, Yoseob, Yuri, Taemin (cameos)
Notes: It started off really well then it got a little weird. I’m sorry the ending is bizarre. I hope you all like it though ^^ A companion piece to Hi-Yeom and Because Maybe No spots because I'm lazy lol The Link of Because Maybe has been edited lol ^^
Summary: It’s hard to confess when you’ve screwed up and is covered in champagne and wine.
“Fany-ah,” she realizes that somewhere between talking to Kim Jonghyun and turning around when Son Dongwoon screamed because of Lee Kikwang, the (semi) bane of her existence had sidled up directly behind her. The slow purr of her name and his breath against the backs of her ears and cheeks makes her scream and she spins around in surprise, eyes wide, cheeks flushing pink, clutching her (thankfully empty) tray to her chest and he’s got a (teasing) charming grin stretching across his lips. Some attention is diverted towards them and she sees Dongwoon turn his head towards them and fellow worker Yoon Doojoon shoot her a semi-worried look before she turns back to the man in front of her. His grin turns into a teasing (and cute) smirk and he shifts his weight, cocking a hip slightly. “Did I scare you Fany-ah?”
The way her name (well, a shortened version of it anyways but still) rolls off his tongue causes her to hold back a shiver and she scowls at him, her knuckles whitening over her tray as she clutches it tighter to her. Of course, not even scowling or threatening to cut his balls off (probably anyways) would dampen his spirits and Lee Donghae, the ever (kinda cute and semi) annoying older brother of her boss Lee Taemin (who was actually under aged and working at the bar for the evening) just grins at her, his eyes lighting up and a hand slides into his semi-formal blazer. Hwang Miyoung (aka Tiffany) bits back a curse because she remembers that she’s at a social event for Im Yoona’s latest movie (even though everyone is used to seeing Lee Donghae and Hwang Miyoung at odds with each other like children) and she forces herself to relax, her eyes closing as she takes a deep breath to calm herself.
It works for all of two seconds then a finger pokes her cheeks. Her eyes open and she’s staring at Donghae. Tiffany is a little bit disoriented and he pokes her cheeks again. Her cheeks are about to puff up in irritation when he beams and for a moment, she’s a little bit stunned because she had forgotten how beautiful his smile was and Tiffany’s cheeks end up flushing bright red when he swoops in, kisses her cheek quickly and runs off, his taller form disappearing into the crowds. Tiffany is a little stunned and when reality catches up with her, she swears lowly, furiously in English, which causes a few surprised stares, and she screams after Donghae’s rapidly retreating back. Her tray is being moved from her chest and Doojoon barely has time to register anything as Donghae dashes past him and Tiffany is letting her tray fly.
Her aim is amazing and Donghae ducks, followed by Doojoon. The only problem is that Doojoon’s duck is a little too late and he’s lying a little dazed on the ground as Tiffany, blushing to the tips of her ears, hurries over and bends to pick up her tray. She bites her lips as she hears Donghae’s somewhat crazed cackle and if she hadn’t hit anyone with her tray, you could bet that she would be rushing after him. But she did, instead of running after the actor like she wanted, she bent down to help the other waiter to his feet with an embarrassed, “Doojoon-ah, I’m sorry,”
Of course, even with a big ol’ red spot blossoming on the corner of his skull, just barely hidden by his somewhat scary fringe, Doojoon just grins, smiling at her as his hand moves to the side of his head, prodding gently at the mark. He winces when he touches it and it only serves to make Tiffany more miserable and she bites her lip, looking down and she fusses with the ends of her skirt. Doojoon lets out a light sigh and pats her hair.
“I’m fine Fany-ah. And one day you’ll catch Donghae-hyung,” Tiffany, a little miserable and guilty, just nods and sniffs lightly. Doojoon winces and he spots Donghae watching with a grin from above a few heads and he resists the urge to shake his head in frustration because honestly, if you wanted to get a girl that was not the-
Doojoon’s internal monologue is cut short a few dozen lines when Tiffany suddenly wails unhappily, her voice just under a low shriek, “Why just tease me?!” and he watches helplessly as Tiffany wipes her hand across her eyes and she’s flying towards Taemin at the bar. When she gets there, Taemin gives her an apologetic smile and she tries to smile back but the tears starting to gather at her eyes is making it hard.
“I’m sorry for Donghae-hyung noona,”
At one time, Tiffany would have said it was fine, that Donghae-oppa was cute but now, Tiffany knows that she would be lying. It would have been cute if she didn’t fucking fall for him in the first place.
~*~*~
On the other side of the room, completely oblivious to Tiffany’s emotional state, Dongahe is grinning like a madman in a little corner, watching as Tiffany and his brother interact. He’s a little oblivious to a few disapproving stares and he grins, nodding to Doojoon as the younger man approaches him, a tray tucked under his arm, a disapproving frown on his lips and a pretty unhappy Kwon Yuri behind him. He raises a hand in greeting, his eyes leaving Tiffany’s form as he says brightly, “Alright there Doojoon-ah? Fany-ah’s throw looked quite hard,”
His question is met with an annoyed huff and Donghae grins a little wider and with a clap to Doojoon’s shoulder, he quips, “You’ve a hard head right Doojoon-ah?”
“Hyung,” Doojoon’s voice is low, a little dark and Donghae blinks as the air suddenly becomes serious, much more serious than he’s accustomed to. Yuri is frowning and her arms are crossing at her chest. “My head aside, I think you’re going to far with this one sided push-pull game of yours. Tiffany-ah’s really upset this time,”
“Fany-ah’s a nice girl Donghae-oppa, she doesn’t need to deal with this,” Yuri adds lightly, her eyes flickering as Tiffany pastes on a smile at the bar and with a tray of champagne and expensive white wine, proceeds to meld into the crowds, some of them asking how she was. Watching as she replied with her signature eye smile. “She’s a nice girl oppa. Stop playing,”
“Just tell her you love her,” Doojoon’s voice is protective and Donghae coughs into his hand. “I’m sure Fany-ah-“
“But Doojoon-ah, where’s the fun in that? Fany-ah is so cute when she’s mad,” Yuri sighs and Donghae knows that if he had been a character in a manga, he’d have stars in his eyes right now. After a moment, Doojoon gives a defeated sigh and lightly pats Donghae’s shoulder with a light, “Sometimes, I wonder what goes on in your brain hyung. You’ll lose people this way,”
“What?” and it’s Yuri who says solemnly, “You’ll lose Fany-ah this way Donghae-oppa. Only you’re finding amusement in this game. She isn’t,”
Donghae blinks and he somehow manages to smile.
“Never happen, Fany-ah loves me too much,” Donghae chirps and he’s smiling but his heart tries not to sputter in worry in his chest. Doojoon sighs and he exchanges a low word with Yuri that Donghae doesn’t catch because now inwardly worried, Donghae is actively hunting for Tiffany’s head in the crowds. His attention is drawn when Doojoon sighs again and claps his shoulders.
“For your sake I hope so hyung,” and Doojoon is off, melting into the world of actors, actresses and workers. Yuri stays a little bit longer, her lips pursing into a frown.
“Oppa,” she starts and Donghae looks at her. She doesn’t finish her sentence and instead she just shakes her heard and mutters something about stupid actors and the male ego, lightly slapping the upside of his head once before disappearing, leaving Donghae alone. Donghae frowns at being abandoned before he slips from his corner and out into the crowds, deep in thought because he knows that it isn’t a game. It never was.
He’s not in them for more than a few seconds when something barrels into him. Donghae blinks and the next instant, he smells of wine and champagne and Tiffany’s staring at him, her tray and glass littering the floor. Donghae opens his mouth to apologize because he hadn’t seen her and his words gets caught in his throat when he notices that her lower lip is quivering and that her eyes are puffy and scarily bright. Donghae is steps from panicking when Doojoon, even though he probably had been somewhere far away and a blond haired actor Donghae worked with once before, Yang Yoseob, steps in.
Doojoon is quick to tell the patrons that the two of them are fine and Yoseob strips of his outer jacket and draping it over Tiffany’s champagne and wine drenched form. Donghae is still staring at her because she looks hurt and his chest is clenching tightly and her lower lip quivers even more.
“Fany-ah I-“ he starts and his voice cracks oddly. The two of them turn as Taemin approaches, the younger man having abandoned his post at the bar, handing it off to another worker and the stare he gives his brother makes him flinch.
“Go clean up the two of you, Doojoon-hyung, the others and I will clean up here,” Tiffany nods and she turns, Donghae, feeling like the biggest asshole in the world, following quietly. Taemin catches his arm before he passes completely. “Hyung, fix this before the two of you are broken beyond repair,”
All Donghae does is hurry after Tiffany.
~*~*~
“Fany-ah!” Tiffany wants to scream when he catches her arm as she’s just steps from the women’s bathroom and Donghae spins her around. Tiffany squirms and her hair flutters around her face, Yoseob’s jacket sliding off her shoulders and she stares up at him.
“Let go!” her voice is choked and Donghae fells like the worlds biggest asshole at that point. His grip on her arm slackens and Tiffany trembles, her head bowing.
“Fany-ah I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-“ and she cuts him off angrily, tears brimming at her eyelashes and spilling over her cheeks.
“You never mean anything do you?” she snaps, sniffling and she runs a hand over her eyes. Donghae silences and Tiffany hiccups. “You never mean anything!” Donghae doesn’t answer and it feels like thousands of needles are stabbing him, both him and her through the chest. She inhales shakily and she steps backwards, away from him. She looks up from beneath droplet-rimmed eyelashes. “I’m not your toy. And this isn’t a game I’m playing,”
“Fany-ah,” she shakes her head and Donghae feels his breath catch because this is what Doojoon and Yuri were talking about just moments before. She had enough, she wasn’t his toy but to Donghae, it was hard to understand because it had never been a game. Never.
“I’m done Donghae-oppa,” and all of a sudden, Tiffany is far from his reach. Very far from his reach and Donghae can only stand there dumbly as she picks up Yoseob’s jacket and slips into the women’s bathroom. He hears the lock click and Donghae exhales hard, staggering to the wall and sliding down it, his body a few inches from the women’s bathroom.
“This was never a game Fany-ah,” his voice is quiet and he’s probably the only one who hears and Donghae buries his head into his arms. There’s a moment where he’s silent then he brings his head back up, his hand moving to scratch a little bit a the door. He doesn’t hear water running and he just knows that she’s standing with her back to the door, waiting, waiting. “It never was. And everyone knows that it isn’t. They know that I’m terrified of losing you, that you’ll just disappear and vanish from my sight,” His head drops. “It scares me. It scares me a lot more than anything ever has. It scares me that I let you become such a big part of my life that I can’t imagine it without you. I can’t see myself never seeing your smile, hearing your voice, your laugh, or never seeing you,”
“I can’t see myself without you,” he sighs, his hand running through his hair. “If I could only turn back time, I’d tell myself not to lose you. I’ll tell myself that you would mean more to me than anything in the world and,” his hand scratches at the doors and he looks up for a moment, a second to see some of the more worried people stand at he end of the hall as his voice fades lightly. Donghae throws them a bitter smile and Taemin’s shoulders sag. They’re too far away to hear him and he continues softly, “Fany-ah, if in the next life I ever get to meet you, I won’t ever let you go then,”
The door suddenly opens and Donghae, as well as everyone else at the end of the hall is staring at Tiffany. Her cheeks are blotchy, eyes red and her lips are quivering. Donghae staggers to his feet in surprise and the others are stopped in their run. Tiffany sniffs and she turns to face him.
“Stop using lines from my favorite drama,” for a moment, Donghae is stupefied and Tiffany wipes her nose and eyes. When she looks back at him, her eyes flicker and Donghae can almost sense that she’s trying hard to take that first step, that first step into believing him. Her voice shakes and she manages to get out a quiet, “Come up with your own,”
Donghae is still, very still and then, he slowly drops. In the background, he can hear Yuri hiss something and Taemin shushing her but all he’s aware of is a weight in his chest, a weight in his heart that he’s been carrying for a long time. He drops to a knee and Tiffany stares. The box is in his hands and he cracks it open, the hinges squeak from months of being in his pocket.
“Let me watch you grow old,” he licks his lips. “Let us grow old together,” His voice, due to nerves, fear, everything cracks a bit and Donghae continues, “Let me show you I’m not playing, that you’re my everything,” she steps forward and his voice cracks again. “Marry me,”
Behind him explodes into noise, white noise maybe but he can make out Taemin’s incredulous, “NOW?! You pop the question now?! Hyung-really?! Have you even-gah!!” but all he’s waiting for is her answer.
“Oppa,” her voice is tiny and Donghae is nervous as she approaches him. He’s smells the wine and champagne and she manages a small smile. “If I let you show me, let you watch me grow old,” his heart sputters almost in his chest. “If we meet again in the next life, will you propose to me the same way?”
“Every time,” Tiffany’s tears are lessening now but at his answer, she kind of frowns.
“Oppa, I don’t want to marry someone who will make me cry and so frustrated because of his stupidity,” there’s a moment and Donghae sputters, his eyes widening.
To all spectators, it’s the weirdest thing because they had been fighting just moments ago. Fighting and on the verge of breaking and never recovering and now they’re watching as Donghae flails his arms, after closing the ring box of course.
“Bu-but you love my stupidity!” and she pauses, tapping her chin. Then, while he’s in the middle of a protest to her decision, she sweeps in and kisses him. His mind pretty much blanks and he manages a hoarse, “Fany-ah,”
“But I will this time, because I love you and your stupidity and your dense moments,” she smiles. “But in the next life, try to come up with more original lines,” the rest of her words are swallowed/turned into a squeal and he happily pulls her into a hug and twirls her around.
The white noise is slowly turning into cheering and Donghae settles Tiffany gently on the ground. He kisses her.