Bright Like You | Saeran Choi
Saeran Choi x Reader/MC | #more than words 2021 , hosted by @gureishi
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Saeran likes to rise with the sun.
He’s always awake by the time morning illuminates your bedroom in golden hues. He kisses you softly and whispers lullabies against your hair before he leaves the warmth of the bed you share.
It never takes very long for you to follow after him, two cups of tea in hand (with extra honey, because he likes his sugary sweet) and his favorite blanket wrapped around you. You always find him in the garden, his hands deep in the soil and humming with the birds.
It’s a strange thing today, to find that you’ve woken before him.
He’s completely burrowed himself under the blankets, only the pink tips of his hair visible. You don’t want to wake him, because he’s beautiful like this – peaceful and light.
So gently, you slip from his grip and tip-toe out into the hallway, quietly closing the door behind you.
You haven’t been in the kitchen for very long, perched on the counter drinking tea, when suddenly, there’s a thunderous crash from somewhere in the bunker. It startles you so badly you almost drop the mug in your hand.
Your body is going into a panic, preparing to start tearing down walls to make sure the twins are okay. But there’s a quick movement in your peripheral and two bare feet rush into the kitchen.
Saeran stands in the entryway, balancing himself on the wall and gasping for air. You fight the urge to run and take him in your arms, because you know instantly there’s something very wrong. His sweater is half-on and there’s a desperate, crazed look in his eyes that you haven’t seen in a very long time –
Cautiously, you place your mug next to you and reach forward.
“Saeran, come here” you say, with as much tenderness as you can – because he’s terrified, and so are you, but you need to find a way to calm him.
And you’re feeling jostled, because for a second, you are sure you saw a little bit of Ray –
He gives a nod then and walks towards you, hurried and unbalanced, placing himself between your knees. His whole body is shaking and the sky feels like it’s falling around you because it’s been so long since you’ve seen him this lost.
You lightly sweep his bangs away from his face before placing your palm on his cheek. Closing his eyes, he instantly leans into it, always starved for your affection.
A sob escapes him then, rattling his whole body, and he wraps his arms around your waist and buries his face into the crook of your neck, his body releasing into yours tiredly.
“I woke up and you were gone,” he explains, his grip on you tightening – afraid of letting go, afraid of what would happen if he did. “I panicked. I’m sorry, so, so sorry.”
Gently, you push him back, and cradle his face between your hands, wiping the tears from his pretty face. There is hesitancy in his eyes, fear that he’s shown you too much, because he can’t protect you if he’s weak.
You lean forward then, nose to nose and mouth to mouth, and you can’t get any closer, but you need to be. “Saeran, do you know that I love you?”
“Can you tell me, again?” he whispers against your mouth, and you can taste the saltiness of his tears. But his voice has lost that terrible urgency, and you know that’s he's come back to himself, back to you.
“When I met you, I was just as much in need of saving,” you say honestly, already beginning to choke up because it’s never easy to speak about one’s darkness. But he needs to hear this more than you need to deny who you used to be. “I was so alone. I used to wish upon the stars every night, praying that they would offer me just a little bit of their light.”
He says nothing, simply gazes at you in wonder, flushed cheeks and top lip quivering. His hands are grabbing fistfuls of your shirt, anxiously looking for something to ground himself with.
“They listened,” you continue, noticing his eyes are clearing. “They gave me something brighter, they gave me you.”
His own hands, scarred but soft and healing, reach up and gently cup your own face – wiping away the tears that have gathered there.
“You are precious to me, Saeran. You understand that, right?”
“Yes, I do,” he says, his words quiet and meant just for you. His soft breath against your lips sends a shiver up your spine. “Before you loved me, I used to wish upon them too.”
And there in the kitchen, with your arms wrapped around each other and bathed in the soft light of dawn, you hear the birds sing.
