Lee Minho has made a big, giant mistake, and he only realized it when you didn't knock on his door that morning.
Right, your internship ended.
There was no reason for you to show up at the crack of dawn with heavy books and tattered journals, and equally, there was no reason for him to be preparing breakfast for two.
Yet there he was, blankly staring at the place you'd usually occupy, where you'd open your journals and discuss a certain theory with him through a mouthful of pie. The memory drew a faint smile on his lips, and he set his fork down with a sigh, looking away from the untouched plate at the other end of the table.
When Chan first assigned you to him, he couldn't wait for the eight months of internship to be over. He should be happy, but for some reason, the silence was killing him. Something was missing, and dread was gnawing at his soul. The cabin felt too big for him. Too lonely.
He shouldn't complain, because after Jeongin and his niece moved out, he lived like that. Alone. Until you barged into his life, claiming eighteen hours of his day for studies and research. He shouldn't feel alone, yet there was his heart, aching as if something dear has been ripped out of its grasp.
A knock on the door pulled him out of his thoughts and he stood in a heartbeat, strangely hopeful. He tried not to show his disappointment when he opened the door to find Mirae, his friend's niece. He plastered a smile for the little girl. "Good morning, Mirae. What are you doing here?"
"Good morning, uncle," she grinned, showcasing the new gaps in her teeth, "My uncle is too busy to take me to the meadows, so I came to ask you instead. Will you take me to the meadows?"
"Of course. Let me grab my things first."
Even as he watched Mirae twirl in the sky joyfully, he couldn't help but think of you and the happiness that illuminated your features when you welcomed the wind. He would be a fool to deny it any longer. Minho missed you.
And he might've not been the most secretive about it, he concluded when Jeongin's niece asked, "Are you okay, uncle?"
"Me? I'm okay. Why would you ask that?" Minho chuckled, eying the incomplete flower crown in her small hands. She must've been telling him something...
"You have this look," Mirae gestured at her face, "Like the look my uncle has whenever his girlfriend is out of town."
"O-Oh, really?"
"Yes." She narrowed her eyes, innocent. "Do you miss someone?"
"No-"
She interrupted him with a gasp, squealing in childish excitement, "Are you in love?"
He only stared at the girl, whose eyes glimmered and widened giddily. Was he?
"Perhaps... Perhaps I am, little one."
Needless to say, what Mirae said to him remained floating in the mess of his mind until he returned to his cabin, freezing in place when he spotted familiar brown-and-gold-feathered wings by his home. What were you doing there?
You felt his presence and turned around, facing him with a pile of borrowed books and a small smile. "Hello."
"Hi." His voice sounded foreign to his ears. "Were... Were you waiting for long?"
"A little, but it's okay. I've come to return these books."
"Right. You can leave them by the doorstep, I'll take them in."
And you did, gently placing the fragile books on the stone step before standing awkwardly and mindlessly playing with your hands. It was a habit of yours, Minho noticed, when you wanted to say something but couldn't utter it. He found himself asking, on impulse, "What is it?"
"I...," you trailed away, meeting his gaze for a fleeting moment before looking at the grassy ground. He could barely hear you mutter, "Can I... Can I hug you?"
"Why-"
All it took was two strides, and he was engulfed in your embrace, enveloped between your majestic wings. He stiffened, but even his body couldn't reject your touch and he molded perfectly in your arms, as if that was where he was meant to be.
"I'm leaving for the mountains tomorrow to finish my research." A murmur came from you.
It had been a while since Minho felt his heart being gouged empty. It was as if someone stuck their hand in there and pulled everything out. It pained him, so much that it was almost physically draining. You can't leave! His hands trembled, vision blurring, you can't...
"Are you-" his silence prompted you to loosen your embrace, slightly concerned, but he only pulled you flush against his chest.
If you saw his face then, you would've noticed the shimmering wetness in his eyes. Minho couldn't let you go. He couldn't watch you leave. Not when you've become the sole reason he greeted the sun and welcomed a new day. He was holding you so close he was sure you could hear the broken heart you've pieced back together. You can't leave me now.
Voice raw, he let himself be vulnerable as a shiny crystal rolled down his cheek. He can't lose you. Not to an expired internship. Not to the mountains. Not to every star in the sky. "Don't leave me. Please."
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