The Memories That Bind Us | Lee Minho (SKZ) x Reader
Genre: Fluff, Angst, Suggestive Humour.
Warnings: Swearing, Verbal Fighting, and a bit of suggestive humour.
Summary: Lee Minho and Y/N were childhood best friends who slowly began to fall in love after high school. However, the history that made them so strong also became their weakness as Y/N began to feel like Minho didn't love her romantically, but rather was just used to her. After a huge fight leading to their break up, they are now forcefully brought together again at the singles table of their University friend's wedding. Add a little rain and an adorable cat named Bubbles, will Minho and Y/N be able to navigate the romantic tension that still lies between them?
Author Note: Hello!
This is my first time writing a Stray Kids fanfiction and my first fanfiction I've written in a LONG time. So it's been quite awhile! I hope you're all able to enjoy and feel free to leave any suggestions or comments. I really love feedback, even if it is criticism. I haven't had a chance to fully write a story since COVID started, so I'm happy to pick up this hobby again.
Please note that this isn't beta(?) read or edited. So please ignore them. I'm so sorry. I'm incredibly lazy!
Thank you again!
PS. The physical structure of the story got a bit messed up, but oh well...
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“Hi! Can I see your invitation please?” a younger blonde girl squeaked from behind the decorated table filled with a seating chart and goodie bags. Y/N fumbled with the envelope before handing it over to the young woman whilst her lips folded into a thin line in an attempt to smile. It was incredibly awkward going to weddings alone now, especially when it was within their large friend group. She knew she was overthinking it, but she couldn’t help but feel like people were gawking at her when she showed up for the ceremony and the reception without a date. She knew deep down that her friends didn’t care if she had a plus one or not, but she couldn’t help but perceive the looks as judgmental because the close knit of friends in attendance all knew about the break up.
“Okay! So you’ll be sitting at table 13. You should see your name card on the table. It’s important that you don’t switch seats as the meal is pre-fixed and will coincide with what you selected during your RSVP.” Y/N peered down at the seating chart the young blonde was pointing to, her finger barely hiding the “singles table” in microscopic swirly handwriting. She held in a sigh, opting to thank the girl instead and headed into the reception hall. The table was draped in a navy tablecloth and nestled into the far right corner which was closest to the open bar. Six seats sat around the table with only three of them occupied currently. Finding her place card quickly she glanced over at the three people sitting at or standing next by their assigned seat.
“Hannah? Oh my God, I didn’t even recognize you. You’re so grown up?” Y/N smiled before holding her arms out for a gentle hug.
“Thank you, it’s been awhile since we last saw each other huh?”
“Yeah like… what? Two years or so?”
“I think so. It’s been hectic since I got into university, especially since moving abroad didn’t make traveling back and forth easy,” Hannah chuckled.
“Oh. Are you sitting here by the way?”
“Yeah! I actually have a plus one though, so it’s a little strange that we’re sitting here, but I guess they just didn’t want to separate a lot of the families since a couple people brought their kids. But anyways… We’ve gotta head out for a bit. We’ll catch up later, yeah?” Hannah grabbed the hand of the tall guy who was leaning against the chair, giving one last small wave and mouthing a “see ya” before dashing off towards the exit.
Y/N eyes fell onto the man sitting beside her spot. She could recognize his side profile instantly considering she spent the last three years prior sleeping next to it. Minho’s black hair laid softly on his head in slight curls and barely covered his eyes. He looked over his shoulder and met her gaze. She couldn’t help but notice the slight padding on his shoulders of his black suit jacket made him look even broader than before.
“Hey,” he gently greeted.
She took a seat next to him and placed her elbows on the table, leaning forward and looking around the hall for faces she knew. Hoping that someone would come to her rescue after seeing the situation that was quickly unfolding.
“You look beautiful in that dress,” Minho uttered again. He leaned forward and put his head into her sightline, trying to draw her attention to him.
“Thanks. Um- you look good too.”
He couldn’t help but chuckle to himself as she made it so blatantly obvious she was looking for someone to get her out of the situation. “You don’t need to avoid me.”
“What? I’m not avoiding-”
He raised an eyebrow at her. The problem with being best friends and then turning into romantic partners is that they can read you like a book. Minho knew every little quirk and habit she has. Y/N sunk down into her chair a little embarrassed. “Yeah you’re right. I’m being silly… Sorry.”
“It’s fine. I was just hoping you’d at least be willing to talk as friends since it’s been almost seven months since we last saw each other.”
Another blow to her ego. Minho was always so calm and collected even in the most tense of times. It didn’t seem like it had been that long, but it truly had been seven months since Minho packed his stuff and moved out. It felt weird knowing the last time they spoke to each other it was when he handed her the key to their shared house. His voice still echoed in her mind when he mumbled with defeat, “I hope you find whatever you’re looking for.”
“You’re right. We were friends for so long. I can’t see why we can’t at least be civil for the sake of our friends. The last thing I want is our drama ruining their wedding.” Y/N forced herself to relax before cracking a more genuine smile. “So, are you actually here alone or did they just set you and your plus one here like they did with Hannah?”
Minho chuckled, “No, I'm actually here alone as well. There’s another guy here too who’s sitting across from us, but he’s quite a bit older than us. I think he’s a distant relative of the bride or something. So unfortunately you’re stuck with me if you’re looking for a dance.”
“Hey, I don’t discriminate against my dance partners! Maybe I want to dance with an older man?” she playfully replied.
“Darling, he’s got a cane and a hip replacement. I don’t think he’ll be looking for a dance tonight.” Minho’s smile widened before taking a sip of his wine. She almost didn’t catch the slip of the pet name that fell from his lips, but it made her heart do a flip in her chest. How easily he could pull her guard down with a single smile made her irritated but a bigger part of her just missed him. She tried to stuff down that feeling and think rationally. Maybe we really can be friends again? She thought to herself.
“Yeah whatever… Just focus on the dinner. The plates are coming out soon.”
The night continued on without an issue. Luckily Minho wasn’t interested in pushing any boundaries and behaved like he used to. His introverted behaviour was sometimes a blessing in moments like these because while he was playful, he also was a little more quiet and not willing to try to start something that could potentially cause a scene. He was level headed when it mattered most and that was something she admired, but was also a reason it felt like sometimes he just didn’t care or wasn’t interested. However, the two of them continued to chat throughout the dinner. Catching each other up with their lives and making a few jokes here and there. Nobody could deny that their chemistry still existed even if they would just pass it off as friendly.
Y/N watched as the newly married couple started their first dance and then slowly more people began to join them on the floor as the songs continued to change and the beats began to liven up the night. She looked out across the dance floor longingly, wondering why none of their university friends were making the effort to chat or invite her to dance with the group. Every time one of them would look towards the table, they’d see Minho behind her and just give some casual pleasantries before continuing to have fun with the rest of the party. Some friends they are…
“Y/N, did you want to dance?” Minho’s voice peaked up from behind her as he extended his hand.
“Nah it’s okay. I don’t want to be a burden.”
“I’m offering. I can see the way you keep staring at everyone dancing and how badly you want to be up there.”
She held her clutch a little tighter while debating for a split second if she should accept the invitation. “I guess maybe a dance or two wouldn’t hurt.” Y/N placed her hand in his before rising to her feet. He tugged on her hand a little harder, pulling her over towards the floor in a quick dash, settling right in the middle of the crowd. A few of their friends glanced over at them with a smile as Minho gave one last gentle tug on her waist and pulled her in closer.
“Yeah, it’s fine… and thank you.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You know how much I love dancing after all. This was for my own benefit” he smirked sarcastically.
“Oh really? And what benefit is that?”
“I get to dance with the most beautiful woman at this wedding and everyone here gets to look at me and think how lucky is he?”
Y/N heart flipped in her chest for the second time that night. “Minho…”
“Let’s just dance. Okay?”
His right hand sat on her waist while the other continued to hold her hand as they stepped in time with the beat. There was some comfortable silence that hung in the air as they continued to look into each other's eyes. While they weren’t verbally conversing, his softening eyes said more than words could. He couldn’t look away, even when Y/N would shyly avert her eyes to an object or person nearby, he kept focusing on the face in front of him.
I love you Y/N… he thought to himself. Wishing he could say it to her right then and there, but he knew the consequences of his actions could risk this moment he had with her.
The truth was Minho never really knew how to express his feelings. He always knew his one fatal flaw was that he never was good with his emotions or expressing the intimate parts of himself. In the three years of dating he could count the amount of times he said “I love you” on one hand. Physical affection and expressing his true feelings were not easy for him and he thought Y/N understood that. Unfortunately, it appeared he was wrong. He already pushed himself a lot when it came to physical affection in their relationship. Holding hands, cuddling, kissing, etc. didn’t come naturally to him. It’s not like he didn’t enjoy it, but it was difficult for him to initiate it. It didn’t mean he loved her any less or that he wasn’t attracted to her. It just wasn’t instinctual to him. Instead he has to actively remind himself to try to be more affectionate, especially when his partner thrived so much on physical touch. His love language was more towards quality time or acts of service. He always thought to grab her little snacks while he was out, even if he knew they were going to be apart for most of the day, or would make extra time in the mornings to make sure they ate a meal together. It was little things like that which he tried his best to show his love towards her, but perhaps it just wasn’t enough.
Now in this moment he knew he didn’t want this opportunity to pass by. He needed to make some type of move to get Y/N back in his life again. Even if they were just going to remain as friends, he needed to find a way to get her to open back up to him and create that line of communication. If that meant being by her side as she moves on with her life, so be it, but he couldn’t lose the most important person in his life. Especially since it ended over some silly miscommunication and conflict in personality types.
“Right now?” she asked, a little puzzled.
“I mean… not right now, but maybe soon. I want to apologize for what happened between us and I wanted to see if there was any chance that you’d be willing to even consider going back to being friends.”
“You don’t need to apologize. I should have been more understanding and stopped trying to force some kind of fairy tale expectations on us. It was naive of me.” This time her smile wasn’t genuine. There was pain behind her eyes but she wasn’t going to let it slip. Her eyes glanced down to their feet so he couldn’t read her face. She had already been humiliated enough today and she didn’t need Minho to see how much he still had an effect on her.
“I do need to apologize though. I didn’t realize how much I was letting you down and I just… I miss you.” Minho tried his best to convey his thoughts even if they were a little nerve wracking to say out loud. He could feel her body tense in his hands as he continued to grip her waist through the rest of the dance.
“I miss you too,” Y/N mumbled just barely above a whisper. “Um- maybe we should have that talk. Maybe somewhere a little more private? I think we’re starting to get some looks.”
The two of them walked in silence over to the outdoor patio connected to the large venue. It had a small flower garden and a couple stone benches, but at least it was secluded from the rest of the wedding guests. The gentle breeze was just enough to send a chill down Y/N spine as her bare arms were nipped by the cold. A little shiver erupted in response. It was just enough for Minho to notice and swifty pull his suit jacket off before draping it over her exposed skin. The residual heat and cologne from his jacket engulfed her like a familiar hug.
“Oh. It’s okay, I don’t want you to be cold either.”
“It’s fine. I’m warm anyways,” he shrugged. He sat down beside her on the stone bench just barely giving space between the two of them. “Am I being a little too much?”
“No. No, it's fine. It just feels kinda strange. You know? It still feels like us but there’s this weird barrier in-between that never was there before.”
“Yeah I kinda get what you mean,” his voice trailed off. “ Um- I don’t want to force you to talk about things, but I just wanted to ask, are you doing okay?”
“Like… are you eating well? Are you still living at the house? Is everything okay at work?”
She huffed out a little chuckle at his concern. “I’m doing fine and work is… well… work. But yeah, I am still at the house. My parents just recently moved the property into my name so it’s officially mine now. Not extremely thrilled that I’m paying a mortgage now, but I can’t complain. I literally own a house in this economy.”
“Oh. Yeah. I’m happy for you” he said with zero attempts to sound convincing.
“Are you okay?” Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she watched Minho begin to emotionally battle with himself.
“Can I just talk to you for a moment as my friend? Pretend like none of this happened for like five minutes and just go back to when we were best friends. I really need you for a bit.”
“Yeah. Go for it.” She could tell by Minho’s frustrated expression that something was eating away at him and maybe just slipping back into the way they used to be could at least open a line of communication.
“I really fucked up. A couple months ago I lost someone who was really special to me and it’s been bothering me ever since. I really let her down and made them feel like I didn’t care about our relationship. It’s just hard for me to be that mushy type of person. However, the longer I’ve been alone I realized now that I was just letting her bend over backwards to adapt to me. I let her feel insecure and in the moment she needed reinforcement the most, I left her. Now I'm worried that I’ve lost the most important person in my life and I don’t know what to do. I know an apology isn’t going to fix it, but I just at least want her back in my life. I know I don’t deserve forgiveness and I don’t expect her to immediately say everything is fine. I just want to at least be in each other's life again.”
Y/N immediately caught onto what Minho was trying to do. It was easier for him to explain how he was feeling and to coax her into expressing what she truly thought if he talked about their situation like she was a third-party, even if it was blatantly obvious it was about them. She hunched over and placed her elbows on her lap thinking on how to respond.
“Do you still care about her?”
“What do you remember from that day?”
________________________________________________
“Oh we got mail! Looks like a wedding invite” Y/N said flashing a small white invitation towards Minho who was busy washing the dishes from their late night dinner.
“I’m assuming Nayoung and Ben?” Minho peaked over his shoulder to glance over at his girlfriend who was clutching onto the invite and reading it carefully before placing it down on the counter-top.
“Yeah it is. I think that’s our only friends that are currently engaged, right?” She briefly paused before looking at his arms and alerting him, “Oh Minho, your sleeves are getting in the water.” Y/N reached around him, quickly tugging his hoodie sleeves up his arms before settling into a gentle back hug.
Y/N just hummed in response, squeezing him a little tighter and nestling her face into his back.
“I can’t really do the dishes like this…” he trailed off.
“Boo. You’re no fun,” a little pout formed on her face before dropping her arms. She took a step back and hopped onto the counter behind him, opting to fiddle with the invite instead. “Hey Minho. Would you ever want to do this kinda thing?”
“What do you mean?” he was still focused on the dishes in front of him and not bothering to look back at what she was gesturing to.
“Would you want to get married?”
“I can’t… I’m doing the dishes.” A smirk grew on his face which was barely visible in the reflection of the glazed white tiles. His voice was still monotone but laced with sarcasm. A groan escaped Y/N’s lips as she kicked off the counter.
“Minho. I’m being serious for once. I’m a little jealous that all of our friends are either engaged, married or very close to becoming engaged; meanwhile we haven’t even talked about our future basically since we started dating.”
Minho sighed slightly before slipping off the rubber gloves and placing them down beside the sink. Honestly, he was really comfortable with the way things were right now and didn’t see a need to progress just because all their couple friends were. He always knew he wanted to marry Y/N eventually, but he wanted to establish a little more security in their careers and life before “rushing” into marriage and a family.
“We’ve only been dating for three years. Nayoung and Ben have been together since high school.”
“Yeah, but we’ve been friends since we were ten?! Minho, we've known each other for more than half our lives? Does that not count a bit?”
“Well…” he paused to think about the logistics of a wedding, “we just graduated University recently and with the student loans we’re repaying, plus the new job offer you just got. I don’t think a wedding is really possible for us right now.”
“Oh my God. That’s not what I mean?! I’m literally asking if you even want to marry me? Because it doesn’t seem like it sometimes.”
Minho was absolutely taken back by her comment. How could she think he doesn’t love her enough to want to get married? They’re basically glued to the hip twenty-four-seven. His voice caught in his throat whilst his eyebrows furrowed, “What?”
“I mean- look at Nayoung and Ben. They’re so in love with each other and we’re nothing like that anymore! Literally even a few minutes ago I tried to give you affection and you basically told me to get off.”
“I was trying to do dishes!”
“It’s not about the fucking dishes! Minho, you’ve never even tried to be physically affectionate with me. I tried to not let it bother me because I know it’s not really your go-to, but do you not understand how much it hurts when you shrug me off? Honestly, sometimes I feel like we’re still just best friends who sometimes sleep together and that’s not even consistent anymore. Are you just not attracted to me? Do you not love me?”
“Hey- wait. Y/N that’s not fair. You know I love you.”
She laughed bitterly, “Do I? Does it sound like I know you love me? Because honestly it feels like you’re just used to me.”
“Don’t say that. That’s not true.” Minho’s arms reached out towards her, his body not really sure what to do but wanting to comfort her somehow. The tears beginning to form in her eyes made his heart sink into his chest. He didn’t want to be the reason she was crying, but his head couldn’t wrap around the situation fast enough to think on what to do or how to fix it. His arms went to wrap around her frame but her palms cut him off, gently placing them on his chest.
“I’m sorry, but please don’t touch me. I don’t want a pity hug right now.”
“Then I don’t understand what the hell you want from me?”
“Oh my God. We’re supposed to be a couple. I shouldn’t have to beg for love!”
“Well i’m sorry, but I can’t just be affectionate on command! I thought you of all people would understand?! I’m sorry that it’s not in my nature to just hold your hand, or cuddle, or kiss you, but I'm trying my best! I always think about what I could do to make you happy. Do you not realize I wake up 2 hours earlier than I need to in order to have breakfast with you every day? I don’t enjoy waking up early, but I do it because I want to be with you!” He shouted back while gripping the counter top tightly.
“I know!!” Y/N bursted out throwing her hands into the air in front of her. She took a deep breath and sighed, “I know… I’m sorry. God, look at us. What the hell happened to us?”
Minho’s head hung low, “I don’t know.”
Minho’s eyes snapped up to her face in disbelief. She couldn’t even manage to look him in the eyes but rather stayed focused on his left arm that guarded her. Holding her pressed to the counter with no escape.
Her lips folded into each other in an attempt to hold back the deep frown that was fighting against her. “Maybe we’re just not meant to be a couple. We work great as friends, but I can’t shake this feeling like I’ll never be enough for you to actually love me the way I need. You know how bad it is that my biggest insecurity is that you’ll never really see me as a woman.”
“But that’s not true! Why are you putting words in my mouth? Honestly, it feels like you’re just giving up on us? I know I haven’t been the best partner and I’m sorry that I’ve made you question my love for you, but it’s just the way I am.”
“And yet I’m telling you how your lack of affection is making me feel, but “it’s just the way you are” so you get a pass?”
“Stop. Minho. This is stupid… I just- fuck. I’m gonna call my sister and ask if I can stay with her for a few days.”
“Forget it. You don’t even let me talk and you’re not even trying to listen to me when I'm telling you it’s not true. You’ve obviously made up your mind about us,” Minho uncaged her body from the countertop and stomped off towards the bedroom to grab his bag. Y/N’s breath became rigid in her throat. She’s never seen Minho so genuinely angry and hurt in his life. His eyes were pooled with pain even if tears didn’t swell in his ducts. He wasn’t much of a cryer, but his glossy dark eyes did little to hide his feelings.
“Wait but what about Nayoung and Ben’s wedding?” she called after him, trying to come up with an excuse now that the reality of her own actions came tumbling after her. She grasped onto the bedroom door knob attempting to twist it open but instead felt the resistance of the lock.
“I don’t give a flying fuck about their wedding. Just tell them the truth.” She pounded on the door still twisting the knob desperately before it flung open in her face again. Instead Minho towered over her with a backpack slung over his shoulder and a new hoodie on, “tell them we broke up.”
“Wait Minho I didn’t-” she began to sob, reaching out for his arm as he stepped around her heading for the front door to slip on a pair of shoes. He went to reach for the door but at the last moment spun around to face her.
“And for what it’s worth… You were my everything. Not even for a second did I ever doubt you were the one I was meant to be with. Ever since we were kids I've always wanted to marry you, but how can we be together when you’ve already given up?”
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Minho’s eyes had dampened during his recollection of the night they broke up. Two large tears had swollen up and fell onto the concrete beneath him suddenly pouring out into beautiful pearls as they refracted the sunset. Y/N couldn’t help but feel the urge to wrap him into a hug but wasn’t sure if that was the best idea. She bit her lip trying to hold back the tears that she thought she had already cried out long ago.
“I’m sorry. For everything,” his voice wavered as if he was fighting back more tears. Absent-mindedly, she placed her palm on his back as he continued to hunch over. She wasn’t used to seeing him cry, but every part of her ached at seeing him broken like this. She really thought he would have been over it by now, thinking deep down he didn’t really care, but seeing him like this made the realization stronger. He did care. He cared about her. He cared about their relationship. Their friendship.
“You don’t need to apologize. We both made huge mistakes. I shouldn’t have forced you to try to be someone you’re not while in relationships. I think I let my insecurities get the best of me and I always would compare our relationship to our friends. It’s not healthy and it’s not us”
“I do owe you an apology though. I was being a sucky partner. Even when you told me how you felt, I didn’t even try to help relieve your doubts. We should have had a real talk,” Minho admitted. He held out his hand hoping for Y/N to take it. Her eyes panned down, not really sure if holding his hand would be the most appropriate action, but her heart won in the end. She lightly placed her hand into his extended palm. Her movements were weary as if the contact would scorch her but the desire for contact was stronger than her willpower. His fingers immediately laced hers before resting them on his thigh.
“Yeah… I really should have let you talk. I’m sorry too.”
A smile appeared on his face when he looked over to her finally, huffing out a small laugh at the awkwardness of their situation.
“We really are something strange. Somehow we’re both comfortable and extremely uncomfortable at the same time.”
“Tell me about it…” her voice wandered off. A smile also began to creep on her face but she tried her best to hide it. As much as she wanted to let her guard down, their situation was still awkward and a lot more needed to be discussed before they could just let things go. Too many words still hung in the air, the same ones that clawed at her heart and made her insecurities ring in her head months after the breakup. Even if he apologized and she recognized that he cared for her, it didn’t alleviate the fear that she wasn’t good enough for him or waved off their years of awkward pre-pubescent friendship that ruined the romantic tension between them.
“I know this might be a little inappropriate but, do you think I could get your number again? If you’re comfortable with that. I’d really like to catch up over coffee or something. If you’d be okay trying to be friends again?”
She gripped her arm through Minho’s jacket while trying to think what the possible consequences of these actions could be. Would accepting this invitation to be friends possibly cause some harm to the walls she built up, trying to get Minho out of her head. She spent so long trying to distance herself in order to make her happy, but was she really that happy to begin with? It frightened her to be friends with him again. What if she has to witness him fall in love with someone else? What if he decides he doesn’t need her around anymore and leaves for a second time? She didn’t know if she could take more heartache from the boy who essentially turned her into an emotionless zombie for months on end. However, one little “please” from his mouth caused her to fold like a lawn chair.
Stupid men, she mentally cursed to herself.
“I guess… I mean, we did have a really long friendship. It’d be stupid to let all those years go to waste,” she mumbled. She wasn’t sure if she was trying to reason with Minho or herself through the delivery of her sentence.
“Thank you. I promise I won’t make things awkward. If I do, just tell me okay? You can be as mean as you’d like. I’ll even let you hit me if that’ll make you feel better,” he was joking but extended his face forward awaiting a playful slap.
“I wouldn’t hit you!” she jokingly sneered while giving him a slight smack on the arm.
“You literally just did!” Minho bursted out laughing and held his shoulder towards her to show off the invisible mark she had just laid upon him.
“I guess I can’t argue with that… but thank you… for at least giving our friendship a chance. It’s really mature of you.”
She let out a sheepish smile instead of letting another playful insult slip from her lips. Y/N had been craving these moments the most between them. This familiarity of teasing and joy was something she longed for the most while he wasn’t in her life. It was weird not having him around, but it was weirder coming back to it almost instantly. It’s like nothing ever changed or had happened. It was just… them.
“Anyways. We should probably get back inside. People might genuinely start noticing we’re gone and the last thing we need is some weird rumour starting around our friend group again.”
He gestured his hand towards her in order to help her to her feet. Minho felt a shiver down his spine from the breeze. He had been freezing his butt off the entire time they had been sitting outside, but seeing her grip onto his suit jacket sleeves, engulfed in his scent. He could care less about the chill that pecked at his skin.
_______________________________________________
To say Minho was happy about rekindling their friendship would be an understatement. His phone was basically glued to his hands, if not, whatever flat surface was in front of him. He was never the type to keep his ringer on. Often opting to keep his phone on silent or ‘do not disturb’ but ever since Y/N reopened that line of communication, it was like every sense of his personality got flipped. His ears would perk up at the little ding of his phone, immediately reaching for it in hopes that she had texted him. Once even leading to an unfortunate incident where his phone decided to take a bath with him. Minho had spent the following night with his phone buried in a mountain of rice hoping the water would drain.
That was the night he realized maybe he was getting a bit too intense. He was acting like a lovesick fool who’s phone became an extension of his body, and it wasn’t healthy, let alone his immediate change in personality could risk scaring Y/N off. They had agreed to be friends again. Not lovers or anything more. So he knew he needed to take a step back and ground himself.
The few weeks after the wedding was filled with hundreds of texts and voice memos between the two. Gradually growing from “how was your day?” into late night 13 minute long voice memos of ranting about a tv show or movie the two of them were watching independently. Y/N’s voice messages were always long and rambled. Often a mishmash of various topics as she jumped from one thing to the others, sometimes not even finishing the point of her story. Unbeknownst to her, Minho absolutely adored her frustrated rambles about life or the weird TikTok she saw. He absolutely ate it up, saving practically every coffee-induced word fumble that she made through voice message at every hour of the day and night.
It helped him feel closer to her again. The fact that she thought about him enough to even send the message to him made his heart swell. Especially when hearing his name fall from her lips as she sighed about her cat Bubbles knocking over her garbage can for the 3rd time that night.
“Minho I swear to God you helped me pick out the most insane cat in that shelter. This little monster is addicted to my trash can- BUBBLES!!! STOP EATING PAPER!!!” Her voice screamed through the phone. He was laying on the couch while relaying some of the voice messages from the night before. The downpour of rain meant he was going to tuck himself away in his apartment for the night and park his body on the couch until bedtime. His half eaten dinner was long forgotten on the counter as he absorbed himself in the silly voice messages she had sent. He could imagine Bubbles, a tiny black cat with the craziest bulging green eyes, laying beside the office garbage can and happily munching on paper. In the few months Minho lived with Bubbles as a kitten, that cat got into absolutely everything and anything, but he got along well with Soonie, Doongie and Dori. Adopting Bubbles was actually Minho’s idea, he thought having a cat in their shared home would be like having a little family, especially since he missed having his cats around him. However, his three cats didn’t relocate well so they stayed behind with his parents. Bubbles was basically a newborn kitten when they adopted him, meaning he was just over a year old at this point, so Minho hadn’t been in his life for too long and the kitten was way too attached to Y/N for Minho to take him after their breakup.
The pause of the voice memo followed by the buzz from his phone made him immediately sit up from the couch. ‘Y/N’ popped up as a notification as his phone rang loudly through the apartment. This was weird. They may have been talking again, but she was never the one to call unless it was an emergency. Even if she wanted to chat one on one it was always over video call. He paused for a second. Was it an accident? Maybe just a butt dial? He shook his thoughts off and swiped the notification to answer.
The line was quiet for a moment before static and sobs started to break out over the phone. He could hardly hear her voice through the muffled sobs.
“Y/N are you okay? I can’t hear you?” The poor reception made it impossible to hear her voice, cutting in and out mixed with her tears. His feet dropped to the floor and sprung off the couch the moment he realized something was wrong. His instincts began running through his body as he looked around his apartment for his car keys.
“Baby where are you?” he called out one last time. Her robotic-sounding pixelated voice was completely inaudible before the phone line went dead. The three beeps from the ended call replaced the sound of poor reception and his mind began to race a mile a minute. He tried to call again while mumbling to himself as his body turned the search into rampaging through his apartment. Her phone immediately went to voicemail.
“Fuck it!” he cursed while slinging on his rain jacket and dashing out the door. If he ran fast enough, he could be there in less than 10 minutes. His apartment wasn’t too far from the house they originally shared. He opted to stay in a nearby neighbourhood since he loved the area so much and it was close to the place he grew up, but deep down he didn’t want to move too far from Y/N either.
The rain was beating against his face with every step he took. His running shoes and pants were absolutely soaked through within minutes, feeling the soles squish water into his socks like sponges. The air was cool on his cheeks and it filled his chest with the scent of rain. Under the shelter of his balcony, this scene would have been something to desire, but running through this rainstorm was a whole different scenario. The shortness of breath finally caught up to him when he slowed down on the stairs to the front door. His fists rapped against the white door with heavy strikes as he yelled out her name.
There was no answer, not that he had given her much time to open the door regardless, but in a panic he was not willing to wait. Minho began frantically checking the side windows and back door, hoping that her forgetful habits would work in his favour. Luckily he noticed the office window was cracked open, the hinge was lazily flipped to the lock position, but since the window wasn’t completely closed properly it slid open with ease. He would have to scold her later once he knew she was safe.
Quickly getting to his feet in the office he looked around the room. It was quiet, well kept, and only a single light illuminated the hallway. It seemed like nobody was home. Meaning he may or may not have just actually broken into her house… hopefully she won’t be mad. Especially since he had just tracked water all over her carpet on top of everything. Within a moment Minho’s ears perked up to hear the front door open and slam followed by the sound of muffled sobs.
“Y/N?” he called out. Hoping his voice would be frightening than his body in front of her. It was quiet for a second before she croaked out.
“Minho? What are you doing in my house?”
He rounded the corner into the living room seeing her equally soaked figure standing in the doorway. Her pajamas were completely drenched through. The black tee shirt and teddy bear pants were completely clung to her body, not leaving much of her figure to the imagination. Her wet hair clung to her face and shoulders in wild twists which slightly hid the running makeup and sore red eyes. It was obvious she had been crying for quite some time.
He couldn’t help himself anymore. His arms extended out in front of him before he could even form a sentence to answer his question. Instead he pulled her into a tight hug, pressing her body into him and nestling his face into her neck.
Their wet clothing clung together as he held her. Her arms were frozen at her sides as she felt his hands find their place on her spine. She was simultaneously freezing and too hot as her skin felt like it was on fire from his hands. She found her hands searching for his face, pulling him away from her neck and cupping his cheeks.
“Are you okay?” he finally asked while searching her eyes.
“I-I’m okay… It’s Bubbles.. I can’t find him,” more tears started to form in her eyes, “I went to run the trash out to the bin and he took off. I’ve been looking for him everywhere. I didn’t know who else to call because you know Bubbles doesn’t like strangers and I-”
Minho cut her off with a small chuckle. He gave her waist a small squeeze before letting go. He was so relieved to know that she was okay. “Shh shh. It’s okay. We’ll find him.”
Minho turned on his feet towards the bathroom. He grabbed a large plush blue towel off the rack and carefully draped it around Y/N’s head and torso, giving her a slight little rub on her head as he tried to begin drying her off. His eyes were soft and glossy as he peered down towards her. There was a certain kindness that existed only in the way he looked at her, like she was everything he needed all at once. It was a look that made you feel like home when he would stare back at you.
“Please go take a shower and warm up. I’ll be right back,” he whispered.
“I’ll go find Bubbles. There’s no need for both of us to get sick from this rain.” Minho picked up the discarded umbrella that Y/N had been using before stepping back out into the storm and closing the door behind him.
Y/N’s chest started to feel warm, a slight whirring of love sickness in her stomach as she clutched onto the towel. “He cares about me,” she thought.
She mentally cursed herself for a moment because the bare minimum and such a small act of kindness felt like she was falling in love with Minho all over again. She felt like a fool but a bigger part of herself wanted to bask in this feeling that she missed so much. She missed Minho like crazy and the last few weeks being in contact with each other was a constant reminder of how important he was to her. She just hoped that he felt the same way.
After collecting her thoughts she made her way into the bathroom and into the shower. He was right to suggest this. Her body was finally warming up and she was able to wash away the salty tears that burned her skin. It was a short shower since she didn’t know when Minho would come back and a pit of worry began to settle in her stomach. He was out there in the pouring rain and it was starting to get late. She quickly dressed herself into a new pair of pajamas and wrapped herself up in a robe to keep her warm. As soon as Minho got back, she’d wrap him up in a towel and send him into the shower as well. Y/N went through some of the old boxes of his stuff, hoping to find some of his clothes he had left behind. At minimum some clean underwear and a shirt to cover himself while she washed his wet clothes. There was a whole wave of emotions that hit her as she dug through his stuff. She remembered how hard it was for her to pack it up to begin with and now she was elbows deep in the u-haul box digging through his abandoned belongings. Luckily she found a maroon cotton tee and some shorts buried towards the bottom. They were slightly wrinkled but they were clean and warm, which was really the only thing that mattered.
A small string of meowing cut her away from her hyperfixation of the box of Minho’s things. She could hear the chilled sniffles from Minho as he stood in the doorway holding Bubbles to his chest. The poor baby was shaking in his arms, his green eyes were just as buggy as ever but didn’t seem to be harmed aside from a bit of irritation.
“Oh my God you found him!” she cried-- scooping the cat into a towel and placing him in between the collar of her robe.
“He was hiding between the neighbours shed and their garage. So at least he didn’t get far. It was just difficult to get him out of there,” Minho explained. Y/N threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug, but was careful not to squish Bubbles between the two of them.
“Woah woah- I’m wet. Don’t make yourself cold when you just finally dried off.”
She grabbed one of the other towels she had prepared and wrapped him in it, similarly to the way he had done it for her not even thirty minutes prior. “Now it’s your turn to shower. Please. I put some of your clothes in the bathroom. Just leave your wet ones on the side of the tub and I'll put them to wash and dry as soon as you’re done.”
Minho didn’t hesitate much, knowing how good a shower would be right now, especially since he didn’t want to have an excuse to leave just yet. While he warmed up Y/N planted herself on the couch and began to carefully blow dry Bubbles. She just hoped that he hadn’t been outside long enough to get sick. His immune system was already poor enough, so an illness no matter how mild, paired with his sight issues and his weak immune system… it was too much for Y/N to handle on her own.
It wasn’t long before Minho came back out into the living room in his dry clothes. His hair was still damp and clinging to his neck so Y/N called him over. She pulled him down to the floor in front of her on the couch, having his back nestle between her knees while she began drying his hair with another towel. Bubbles laid peacefully, purring on the couch beside her and wrapped in a fuzzy blanket. Meanwhile, Y/N ran her finger through Minho’s almost dried hair, trying to detangle the knots from his head. The moment was silent and intimate. Nobody dared to speak and ruin the comfortable silence between them as she continued to fuss with his hair. At some point he began to lean to one side, pressing his cheek to the inside of her knee and resting his head on her.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
He simply hummed in response and closed his eyes. Her skin was soft and supple. He remembers how it felt when their legs would tangle while cuddling on their shared bed. She had a habit of wrapping her legs with his. The squish of her thighs were addicting to him when he would kneed them absentmindedly while watching a movie. He just missed her and the silly little habits the two of them shared.
Her heart was racing at the press of his cheek against her. It was weirdly intimate but wholesome at the exact same time. She tried to hide the buzzing in her chest by acting like this was normal to her still, regardless if it had been months since she had any type of physical contact from him like this. She had to force herself to remain calm since she had so many questions and concerns in her head. Right now the surprise contact and charged atmosphere were the least of her concerns.
“I’m sorry I called you…”
“Don’t even worry. I’m glad you called me.”
“I just feel bad because you ran through the rain all because of some miscommunication and poor reception. Especially since you might catch a cold because of me.”
“Miscommunication seems to be our thing, huh?” he playfully joked, “and for the record I’d get sick for you a hundred times over if I thought I was helping you. I’m here whenever you need me.”
A small smile crept onto her face at his words. She finally pulled the towel off his head to reveal his dried fluffy hair and placed it on the floor beside him. “Well Bubbles certainly appreciates your white knight behaviour.”
“What can I say? I have to save our son from the weather.”
“Also- my behaviour might not necessarily be fueled by the ‘knight in shining armour’ you were thinking. I have my own ulterior motives as to why I’m here” he said with a smirk, now turning back to look at her. He got to his knees, folding his arms over her lap and looking up at her with a devilish smile. His eyes were wide and glossy, a hint of devilish thoughts behind his pupils. It was that type of look you didn’t know to interpret as mischievous in a wholesome way or if he was going to commit arson. With Minho… honestly it was a 50/50.
“I thought you were in trouble. I wanted to save you so your heart would swoon.”
The amount of idiocy that left her mouth in response could make a spoon look sharp, “like in a friend way?”
His mouth immediately cracked open with furrowed brows. He couldn’t believe that she would say something so stupid. “In a friend way?? What friends do you have that are trying to make your heart swoon?”
“Uh- Changbin? I don’t know! You broke up with me! I don’t want to misinterpret this!?” she shouted back at him. A scowl formed on her face as she crossed her arms and laid back on the couch. He couldn’t help but burst out into laughter and grab her arms. He attempted to uncross them with his hands and pulled her forward again.
“No. Not in a friendly way, you idiot. I’m trying to win you back.”
“Well calling me an idiot isn’t the way to start” she mumbled to herself, letting her arms be controlled by his hands.
“Fair enough. Let me try again. What I'm trying to say is I’m sorry for making you have doubts about my intentions in our relationship and for making you question my love for you. I know I can be a bit of a pain in the ass, sarcastic, and not very touchy-feely, but I should’ve listened to you when you said you were feeling like you had to beg for my love. The truth is, I don’t know where I would be without you and these last few months have been absolute hell. I feel like a huge part of me is missing without you. I guess what I’m trying to say is I love you and would you take me back?” Minho’s hands gripped onto hers, still kneeling on the ground in front of her. It honestly felt more like he was begging because of the awkward position.
“I don’t- um. I feel like an idiot if I say yes so quickly,” she stumbled out.
“I will let you touch me.”
Her face immediately went bright red; dropping his hands from hers and placing them over her mouth.
“I meant cuddling!” he burst out laughing, “What are you? A pervert?”
“Why would you say it like that?!”
Minho doubled over and wiped the joyful tears out of his eyes, barely able to catch his breath. “God, you haven’t changed much.”
“You know what. Fuck you! No!” she laughed back at him. She began shoving his torso away with her foot as he laid across the ground in front of the couch. After a few minutes of laughter Minho finally was able to collect himself and bring himself onto the couch beside Y/N and Bubbles.
“I am serious though. I know we need to have a long talk, but would you be open to a discussion about us? I really want you back in my life. I want to be us again, but more reliant on each other and willing to communicate.”
She pursed her lips together while giving it a minuscule thought, “Well… I’m sure Bubbles would like to not be a child of divorce anymore.”
“Ah so you’re willing to give us a chance for the baby?”
“Hmm. I guess so” she teased.
“You know what. I’ll take it. I don’t even want to argue if that means getting to come home to you again.”
“We really do need to talk about it though. We need to discuss boundaries and expectations so then something like this doesn’t happen again.”
Minho just smiled in response, pulling her in by her waist and planting a big kiss on her cheek. “You know you haven’t really said you love me either…”
She just rolled her eyes playfully before planting a single kiss on his lips, “I love you, you big idiot.”
