A/N: Ummmmm... get ready for more *spice.* That's all I'll say.
*sigh* I don't know why I'm like this.
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"Step out," he whispers, his breath tickling your ear.
You feel him raise his arms gently. Your own arms, connected to his by your interlocking fingers, are forced to follow suit. The feeling is surreal. It's like he's guiding you through the next step of a dance... only this dance involves a 75 foot drop straight down.
You feel your throat close up in fear, and your fingers tighten painfully around his. It takes all your willpower not to twist out of his grip and away from danger. You're shaking as you look out into the darkness. Your heartbeat is pounding in your ears, drowning out every other noise. You can't hear Min-hyuk behind you, or the wind as it tugs at your clothing. You can't even hear the deafening explosions as the fireworks go off around you. All you see is bright flashes of color and the city lights far ahead. You trust Min-hyuk, you really do... but to this extent??
Your vision starts to blur as fear gradually takes the reins. Just as you're about to give up and take a step backward into the safety of the ferris-wheel car, Min-hyuk's low voice cuts through the sound of your pounding heart.
"Y/N...," he murmers softly into your ear. "Trust me."
For the next few moments your world goes quiet. Even the pounding of your heart is lost to the silence. The only thing breaking through the nothing is the calm breathing of the man behind you. You close your eyes tightly, focusing on the steady breath that tickles your ear.
Exhale...
Inhale...
Exhale...
Your own breath synchronizes with his, and you slowly feel your fear melt away like snow when it meets warm rays of sunlight. And as you take your next shaky breath in, your feet move on their own, and you step out into the darkness in front of you.
...
.......
When you step out, your feet touch something soft and... springy? You feel Min-hyuk step out behind you as well, and as you take a few steps together on the unknown surface, you peel your eyes open to see what's happening. As you slowly ease your eyes open and look down, the breath is stolen from your lungs. You both should have fallen out of the car, but you're levitating-- no, you're walking through the air as though there were solid ground beneath you.
(A/N: I don't know if any of you have seen Howl's Moving Castle. It's a studio ghibli movie and it's AMAZING. The book's really good too. Anyway, there's a scene from the movie that I pictured when I wrote this, so I had to include the pictures to show yall. Soooo just imagine you're in this scenario with Ri-eul... and it's obviously nighttime instead. Okay, sorry to interrupt)
You recall a time when you were young and you got to jump on your friend's trampoline. Walking through the air almost feels like walking on that trampoline... Each step you take feels like you're bouncing, and it propels you higher and higher until you're as high as the tallest point of the ferris-wheel behind you.
As you get more of a feel for this new sensation, you realize it's less like jumping on a trampoline and more like you're a balloon. You remember playing a game as a child where you try and keep the balloon from touching the ground. Each time you would hit it upward, it would slowly float back down until you hit it again. Walking through the air feels like that.
The sounds of the fireworks finally return and you're suddenly acutely aware of all of the sensations around you. As a gentle gust of wind hits you, the reality of what's happening finally sinks in. You're surprised as a laugh erupts from you, though there's still a fair amount of terror behind it. Min-hyuk squeezes your hands again at the sound.
"Not so bad, is it?" he calls out over the sound of the wind, and suddenly he's laughing too. The sound is joyful and you can't detect even a hint of fear in it. This helps calm your nerves even more, and you're able to fully take in this exhilarating experience. As you continue your gravity-defying walk, all traces of doubt leave your mind only to be replaced with wonder. The city lights below you look like twinkling stars and you feel a smile spread across your face.
Just when you even feel like you're starting to get the hang of this new feeling, you hear Min-hyuk's warning voice from behind you.
"Don't stop walking or you'll just float down," he calls, and suddenly one of his hands leaves yours. Your terror is instantly back.
"W-wait! Min-ah!" you cling desperately to his remaining hand with both of yours, and to your relief he holds on tightly.
"Don't worry," he reassures you quickly, and he spins you in the air so that you're walking side by side instead of together. You walk beside him, matching his long strides, but you don't have the courage to release his hand from what you're sure is a crushing grip.
As you both stride weightlessly through the air, he looks over at you with an amused grin.
"You look terrified, Y/N," he tells you.
"Really?" you respond sarcastically. "I wonder why."
He smiles, and with a teasing look in his eyes says, "You know, I bet it'll be a lot more fun if we do it on our own. Should I let go--?"
"No! No, don't!" you gasp as he jokingly begins to slide his hand out of yours. One of your hands grabs onto his sleeve instead, ensuring that you'll still have something to hold onto if he actually decides to release your hand. "Don't let me go," you choke out.
He chuckles at your reaction and gradually his walking slows until you're hardly moving through the air anymore. You use this opportunity to take a fistful of his shirt and pull yourself closer to him. This forces him to stop walking altogether, but he doesn't seem to mind. Just like he said, as soon as you stop walking the two of you start to gently float downwards. He glances down at you and the look in his eyes says he's still laughing at you, but luckily he takes pity on you. A strong arm snakes around your waist and pulls you against him. His secure hold on you is comforting and you let out a shaky breath of relief, wrapping both arms tightly around his neck just for good measure.
"Don't let me go," you repeat weakly.
Another chuckle, and you can feel this one as a low rumble in his chest.
"I won't ever let you go," he says softly as his other hand comes up to gently smooth your hair.
You stay wrapped in each other's arms for a while as you gently float back to the ground. You had managed to walk pretty high, so it'll take another few minutes to reach the bottom.
"I'm glad you trusted me," he says after a while. "I was worried you wouldn't."
"So was I, for a minute," you admit, your voice muffled slightly your arms that are still wrapped tightly around him. "Would it have killed you to tell me what you were planning before telling me to walk off a ledge? I was scared out of my mind."
"I could tell," he grins. "Besides, if I had told you what was going to happen, what would be the point in trusting me?" he counters, and you have to admit he has a point.
"I still think you could've warned me somehow," you say grouchily, nuzzling into his neck. You take a deep breath in, losing yourself in his comforting scent.
"You did well," he tells you with another chuckle, continuing to smooth your hair.
A content silence falls between you as you hold each other.
"How often do you... you know... walk through the air like this?" you ask after a while.
"Never. This is my first time trying it."
There's a pregnant pause as your brain processes what he just said. You pull back a little so you can look into his face. He stares back at you, as if there's nothing wrong with what he just said.
"You mean to tell me," you say soberly, "that you told me to step out of the ferris-wheel without knowing this would work?"
"It's magic, Y/N. Why wouldn't it work?" he says calmly, his signature mysterious twinkle returning to his eyes. "I knew we'd be safe if we tried it... but I've never tried it before. A little paradoxical, isn't it?"
You have no words. You're torn between scolding him for the hundredth time today and just letting it go. You eventually decide to just let it go. It amazes you how your childhood friend can keep surprising you like this. There really is never a dull moment when you're with him. It's been this way ever since you started believing in magic. Part of you doesn't think you can take much more of these surprises he has up his sleeve-- just in the last few days you've nearly died of fright a dozen times.... But the other part of you knows that there's no going back to the way things were. You've been introduced to this wonderful new world of magic and now your life will never be the same again.
"You're unbelievable," you grumble for the second time today.
"Thank you," he replies with a boyish grin, choosing to take your insult as a compliment.
"Wait... How did you know we would float down if we stopped walking?" you ask curiously.
"Oh, that... I just assumed that's how it would work. I didn't really know for sure," he replies with a shrug. "Good thing I was right, huh?"
You open your mouth but words refuse to come out, so you just close it again. You close your eyes and take a calming breath, swallowing the string of profanities that were just about to come flying out of your mouth. Just let it go, you think placidly, trying to find your happy place.
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," you tell him with surprising calmness, your eyes still shut tight. A few more deep breaths puts you in a place where you can look at him again.
When you open your eyes, he's already looking at you. His lips are parted slightly, and his eyes are half-lidded as they gaze up into yours. He has a wistful expression as his eyes travel lower, lingering on your lips for a seductive moment.
"What's wrong?" you ask quietly.
"Nothing," he says absently as he continues to look at you. "You're just... so pretty."
Your cheeks burn at the sudden compliment, and you're sure your brain just short-circuits. It's been doing that a lot lately, mostly whenever Min-hyuk speaks. You're thrown off guard, and for a moment you're unable to think of anything to say in response. Finally your brain starts working again, and you manage to come up with what you think is a pretty smooth response.
"You're just now noticing that, huh?"
"No," he answers right away. You're not expecting him to be so serious in response to your teasing question. "I've always noticed. I've just never said it."
The hand that was stroking your hair earlier ghosts down the back of your neck and between your shoulder blades, finally coming to rest at the small of your back. You can feel the warmth of his hand through the fabric of your shirt as he tugs you a bit closer, almost closing the distance between your lips.
"But you make me want to say it over and over again. Especially if you're going to blush like that every time."
This only makes your cheeks grow warmer. You're sure your face is the shade of a tomato right now. You're so flustered that you don't know what to do with yourself. You move your arms from around his neck, sliding your hands down to his chest instead. You start fiddling with your hands as you try to look anywhere but his eyes, which are trained intensely on you, making you feel even more flustered.
"You're so cheesy," you mumble with an embarrassed smile. He returns your smile easily, though his is much less shy. A moment or two passes and you look back up at him. Time seems to slow down a little as you both look into each other's eyes. Slowly his smile fades as he looks at you, and your heart starts beating erratically against your rib cage as you anticipate the feeling of his lips on yours once more. You see his eyes, full of desire, flicker to your lips again... But he doesn't lean forward.
"Are you going to kiss me?" you breathe when he doesn't do anything.
"Mmmm," he hums vaguely, eyes still fixed on your lips.
"What does that mean?" you ask, with a small laugh.
"It means I could...," he explains in a thoughtful tone, translating for you, "but I don't know if I should. If I start kissing you, I doubt I'll be able to stop."
Your lips part slightly in surprise at his honesty. You're about to blurt out that you don't mind if he's not able to stop, but you swallow the urge quickly. Lately you feel like you've been acting like a horny teenager around him, and the last thing you want is for him to think that too. Maybe it's for the best that he's being cautious. Besides, his self-restraint right now is oddly attractive.
"But," he continues, "I think one kiss right here wouldn't hurt."
You suddenly feel his hand at the back of your neck, pulling you gently forward. You almost think he's going in for the kiss anyways, despite what he just said, but he lifts his head at the last second to plant a kiss on your forehead instead. His soft lips linger there for what seems like an eternity. He's so still that you think you can see his quick pulse against his neck. You can feel tenderness in this kiss-- pure, unadulterated affection--and at this moment, your heart is so full that you feel like it might explode. How were you lucky enough to meet him all those years ago?
He pulls away after another moment and looks back down at you. His thumb gently brushes your cheek as he studies your face, his eyes full of intense longing.
"Maybe one here too," he whispers.
He leans forward and places another gentle, lingering kiss where his thumb just touched, then he pulls away again. You smile up at him, amused.
"...And maybe the other side to make it even," he mutters.
You let out a breathy laugh as he leans in for a third kiss, placing it tenderly on your other cheek. When he pulls away, you point to your nose.
"Here too," you tell him. He listens happily, giving your nose a cute little peck.
"Hmm.. and here," you say, pointing to your eye. Your eyes flutter closed as he places a delicate kiss on your eyelid.
Unbidden this time, he moves to your other eye, touching that one with his soft lips as well. And then he continues to move around your face, placing slow, gentle kisses on every inch of it. His movements seem almost worshipful, and soon you're almost in a daze, mesmerized by the feel of his lips.
You want him to kiss you for real, but you're not about to tell him that. He's right to be cautious. It's easy to let things go too far, especially when you care so deeply about the other person. You're glad he has common sense enough to know that and set boundaries. That at least makes one of you. If it had been up to you, you would have crossed all the lines there are to cross.
But you can't help but notice that despite voicing his determination not to kiss you, Min-hyuk's resolve seems to be slipping in that regard. When he finally pulls away again, his brown eyes are dark with desire. You hear him inhale deeply through his nose, as though he's trying to steady his breathing. He holds the breath for a second, then exhales, the sound coming out ragged. Your heart is pounding in your ears. It makes you weak in the knees knowing you have this effect on him. His next words sound strained, almost painful.
"Y/N..." he falters, and seems to be unable to find the right words to continue. Then with a small sigh of frustration, he says under his breath, "Dammit."
You're about to ask what's wrong again, but he pulls you to him roughly, crashing his lips to yours in a bruising kiss. So much for his self-restraint. He seems to have abandoned it all just now. You let out a small noise of surprise at this desperate kiss, but you don't complain. In fact, you don't have time to say--or even think-- anything at all. His lips immediately set a fast pace against your own, forcing every coherent thought from your brain. For a few moments you're too stunned to react. Your body refuses to move, so you just let him kiss you at this unrelenting speed while you try to regain the ability to think straight.
He doesn't wait for you. Instead, his hands hungrily trail over your body. They roam eagerly from the back of your neck, to your waist, to cupping your face, never staying in one place for more than a few seconds. The next thing you know, he grips your arms and guides them upwards so they're draped around his neck again, and pulls you in, forcing you closer. He holds you there in his strong arms, his hands momentarily stopping their roaming so he can savor the closeness of your bodies.
Him moving your arms seems to kick-start your brain and you're suddenly able to move again. As his lips continue to move fiercely against yours, your hands go to his hair. You drag your fingers through the soft strands, not caring a bit if you're messing up his hairstyle. Finally you grab a fistful of the longer hair at the back of his head and give it a soft tug, remembering the effect it had on him the last time you did it. This time is no different. He gives a small grunt in response and kisses you harder. You feel the hand resting on your hip tighten its grip.
Then Min-hyuk decides to try the same thing, wondering if it will have the same effect on you. You feel a firm tug on your hair. You gasp into the kiss as your head is forced back, giving him a new angle at which to claim your lips. You can feel his desperation as he deepens the kiss and you feel butterflies for perhaps the hundredth time today. Suddenly a sound suspiciously like a whine tears itself from your throat as you feel his tongue brush against your bottom lip before entering your mouth.
For the next few seconds, you forget how to breathe. Min-hyuk's tongue explores your mouth hungrily, entangling with your own in a sensual dance. If you'd been standing, you're sure your legs would have given out beneath you, so you're grateful you're still floating downwards. At this point, you're not sure how long you've been floating down, and you've been a bit too preoccupied to care. There's a sinful side to you that just hopes you're not too close to the bottom, so you can stay like this with him.
"Nngh--" The sound is ripped out of you when you feel Min-hyuk's teeth on your lower lip, biting down gently. Your hands clench around his hair, his shirt--anywhere you can grab--as you force yourself to breathe again.
Suddenly, as though in answer to your earlier wondering, you feel your feet touch solid ground. You're both surprised at the sudden landing. The contact with the ground jostles you slightly as you both try to find your footing again, forcing your heated kiss to come to an end. Min-hyuk steadies himself almost instantly, but as soon as your feet touch the ground your legs actually give out, just like you'd suspected they would. But his arms firmly hold you in place as you regain your balance.
Neither of you even bother to look around at where you ended up. Your gaze is locked on each other. You're both panting as you stare into each other's eyes, wondering who will make the next move and what it will be. Min-hyuk's face is still only inches from yours and he has a hungry look in his eyes.
A few moments pass like this as you look at each other, and you're still desperately trying to catch the breath he stole away from you. You open your mouth to say something--anything--to break the silence.
"M-Min-ah," you stutter, trying to remember how to form words. "I... oh--!"
You let out a small noise of surprise when he steps toward you, pushing you backward none too gently. You stumble a little, not ready for this sudden advance. Your fumbling feet carry you backwards only a few steps before your back slams into something solid, forcing a surprised grunt from your lips. You don't have time to register anything else before he's there, pinning you against the wall, his desperate lips finding yours once more.
This kiss is just as mind-numbing as before, and you soon find that you're breathless again after only a few seconds. Min-hyuk's hands cup your face, directing the kiss however he sees fit while your hands grab the fabric at his waist, tugging him closer. After a few more moments of pure bliss like this, the kiss slows and he pulls away, seemingly with great effort, allowing you to breathe once more.
"I warned you I wouldn't be able to stop," he pants, his breath fanning over your face. It almost sounds like an apology, but the look in his eyes says he's anything but sorry.
"I didn't want you to anyway," you gasp in reply.
At your unexpected answer, he lets out a sort of stifled groan, and looks at you with the most lust-filled eyes you've ever seen. He leans in again, about to bring his lips crashing to yours once more--
Creeeaaak.... crash!
The metalic whine of a rusty gate interrupts you, and both your heads turn in the direction of the noise. It's then that you realize where you are. You're just inside the amusement park, right by the entrance. Min-hyuk has you pinned against the stone wall surrounding the place. Which means the big metal gates at the front are close by. You'd recognize the sound anywhere. The gates were either opening or closing just now. You're not sure which. Who could possibly be visiting an abandoned amusement park at this time of night?
Min-hyuk looks back at you briefly. To your amusement you see a flash of annoyance in his brown eyes, but it's quickly gone. After looking at you he takes a step back, grabbing your hand and tugging you with him as he tries to see around the bend to the gates beyond. As soon as the gates are in view, you both see a figure, almost like a shadow, on the outside of the gates. Whoever they are, they had just closed the gates behind them.
They seem to be frozen in place, and you wonder if maybe they've caught sight of the two of you and are waiting to see if you've noticed them too.
"Who's there?" Min-hyuk yells out.
At the sound of Min-hyuk's voice the shadow visibly flinches and suddenly it takes off running. You hear the footsteps echo as the person races off into the darkness beyond. Min-hyuk lets go of your hand and runs a few steps forward too, and you can see him trying to decide whether to pursue this strange shadow. Eventually he comes to a stop at the gates, however. Even if he wanted to give chase, the person is long gone at this point.
You follow him slowly. After a moment he turns around and starts heading back up to you. As he approaches, you see that his face looks grim.
"Who could that have been?" you wonder aloud as Min-hyuk approaches.
"I think I know," he replies with a dark look in the direction of the theater. Without another word, he takes your hand once more and starts briskly walking toward his shabby home.
His brisk pace never lets up as you head into the theater. When you reach the room with all his magic props and desk, he immediately looks at a small coat rack in the corner. You're quick to realize that his hat and cloak are usually hanging up there... but they're gone. He notices too and gives the rest of the room a quick once-over, finding no trace of the clothing.
"Was it... that man?" you start, already coming to your own conclusions.
"Probably," he says, knowing immediately who you're referring to. He looks at you with a somber expression. "My guess is it's our friend from a few nights ago. I thought I recognized him as he was running away."
Of course. The man who tried to steal Min-hyuk's cloak and hat the other day. It had to have been him. Your blood starts to boil just thinking about him. What could be so important about that cloak and hat that he would come back, even after being threatened by Min-hyuk? You're afraid to know the answer now. You really have a bad feeling about it.
"I don't know what he's planning, but whatever it is, it's not good," Min-hyuk mutters, voicing your own thoughts. You nod wordlessly in response.
"I suppose there's nothing we can do about it right now, though," he continues, mostly to himself. You nod again, all your earlier worries about the ongoing missing-person case--and now about this strange man and his plans--returning with a vengeance.
It must have shown on your face because Min-hyuk walks quickly back to your side to reassure you.
"Don't worry," he says quietly, letting a small smile touch his lips. "Remember what I said? It'll all work out. Even this. You'll see."
You nod, not able to return his smile just yet.
"I should go," you say quietly after a moment.
Is that a brief flash of disappointment you see in his eyes? It's quickly gone, and he nods in agreement. "Right. It's getting late."
He places a quick kiss on your forehead, then turns and walks away. Supposing this is his goodbye, you call after him, "I'll come back tomorrow, okay?"
You feel a little disappointed that a simple forehead kiss is all you get as goodbye, but you brush it off. You turn and start to walk toward the exit when you suddenly hear hurried footsteps beside you and a hand snags your wrist firmly, keeping you from taking another step.
You look back to see Min-hyuk, coat in hand, staring at you like you're crazy.
"You don't seriously think I'm letting you walk home alone after that, do you?" he says incredulously, and your heart flutters. "Just wait a second."
He puts on his coat and takes your hand in his, then starts toward the exit. "Thought you'd get away without a proper goodbye, huh?" he says as you walk together. "Not a chance."
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A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter!!!! Thanks so so much for all the reads!!! Ya'll are the best. Seriously. Thanks so much for reading! Keep coming back! I'll keep having more for you to read! :D
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