| jisung's pov |
when hana and i return from our walk around the neighborhood, minho is sitting on the couch watching a movie. he notices us walk in and he averts his attention back to us, i flinch for the sudden pair of eyes on me.
there was only one person in the room staring at me, but it felt like a ton and i felt insecure.
ha...how foolish.
"you're back," minho states.
i hum as i start to unbuckle hana from the stroller.
"where'd you guys go?" minho asks from the couch.
"oh, we just walked around the neighborhood."
"how nice," he says, and i succeed on unbuckling hana. i help her get down and she runs towards her brother. "hana likes going outside, doesn't she~?" minho reaches for hana and sits her on his knee as he greets her with a warm-looking hug. "next time let me join you, k?"
hana smiles shyly and nods. "of course, big brother..!"
minho smiles softly at her and then he glances back at me, his smile faded. "what're you thinking of making?" he asks.
i absentmindedly tilt my head slightly to the side. "huh?"
"dinner. what are you thinking of making?" he asks me again. only this time, i'm not distracted by his face.
"ah, yeah...erm...i don't know yet...do you have something in mind?" i hope he does, 'cause really, all i was thinking of making was some ramen. three things i'm good at making: ramen, cereal, and frozen food. they're all edible, so i don't really care what i end up eating. i just don't have the talent to make it taste extraordinary or specifically, normal.
you either make your food like it's supposed to be taste like, or you just add a bit more than it needs to normally have; making it taste heavenly. on the other hand, i...i just make it edible enough to put it in your moth and swallow down.
in this case, i know i'm not a cook.
anyone can be cook? yeah, i don't believe in that sort of saying.
i glance at minho. "if you want, you can be the main chef, and i'll just be the one who gets the things you need."
minho chuckles, "you mean my assistant?"
there's a pause of my confusion before i nod and hum. "yeah, that."
"alright then. thanks for the help."
i nod stiffly. "yeah, no problem... i'll do.. my best," the words come out slower than i had read them in mind. still, i somehow manage to make a smile appear on minho's lips.
"if you want, you can play with hana in the meantime while i get the things ready. i'll just call out your name if i need help," minho said as he put hana down on the floor.
i nod only once and make my way to sit beside hana who was now grabbing her big set of legos. she brings them over to me and opens the box. "can you build me a house?" hana asks.
i smile and nod fondly. "yes, of course."
minho makes his way to the kitchen and i continue playing with hana, helping her build a house.
🌷🌷🌷
minho has started cooking, but he hasn't called out for help since then. i've been playing with hana with a few of her other toys. but she loves to stack all her legos together in one big building, before it all comes falling to the ground, in which she begins laughing happily. a smile forms purely on my face as i watch her do the exact same thing over and over, and just as she does so, she never stops cracking up a bubbly smoothing laugh. her cuteness makes me want to crack a laugh too, and not realizing it then, i laugh with her.
after a while though, she exhales out a breath of air of exhaustion and relief; i embrace her gently. "alright, lets do something else before you start crying 'cuz of how much you're laughing," i say as i take her to her other toys.
hana sighs and reaches out for my cheeks, she looks at me adorably before resting her head on my shoulder. i melt of her small little hands on my cheeks and her adorable action. "i love you, hannie," hana mumbles before she kisses my cheek and wiggles her way out of my arms.
i smile softly, and my insides melt with warmth.
"aw, i love you too, hana," i reply as i gently ruffle her light brown locks.
there's a moment of silence, before i realize we're not only when i hear minho's voice in the background. "looks like you're growing on her."
i glance back and i met his eyes. "um...yeah, probably," i awkwardly say, realizing how minho probably saw of that. it's not like it was bad, but wouldn't it be weird seeing his baby sister getting to like a stranger (me) so quickly?
something about that just doesn't make me feel any better than i wished it did.
"is she growing on you?" minho questions.
i stand up and make my way towards the kitchen counter so i can talk to him closer. so i can hear him, and so i wouldn't have to raise my voice in order for him to hear me across the room. i sit on the stool and i watch him cook. "would it be weird if i answered yes?"
minho surprisingly, and quickly shakes his head. "no. i wouldn't think so. why? do you think it'd be weird?"
i shrug, "i mean, wouldn't you feel uncomfortable seeing your baby sister getting close to a complete stranger?"
minho stops cutting the meat so he can stare right back at me. i try to keep myself from falling into his gaze. "you're not a stranger. your name is han jisung, and you're my sister's babysitter...and, we talked about our favorite things," he concludes, and continues cutting the meat.
i chuckle quietly at his response. "is telling each other's favorite hobbies something you need to know about someone?"
minho shrugs his shoulders. "i would like to think so. or, would you like me to tell you something more private so we no longer feel like strangers?"
my eyebrows raise. "you would seriously say something private about your life to me? some person who just works for taking care of your sister?"
minho hums and sets scissors the down on the counter. he meets my gaze while his hands grab onto the counter. "if you still feel like a stranger, then, yes... do you still feel like one?"
i stay frozen upon the question, deciding whether or not i should tell him the truth or not. of course i still feel like a stranger to him. "no. i don't. i feel...close to you..?" i hope i answer with the right thing he wants to hear.
he lowers his head and smile is seen on his lips, making me think i succeed on replying with the right answer he wanted to hear.
score.
"good. that's good to hear."
i hum, "yup. but um, do you still need my help or...what?" he did say he would tell me when he would need my help, but for some reason, he hasn't.
he unexpectedly shakes his head. "i'm fine right now. you could just continue playing with hana."
i nod slowly and get off the stool to make my way back to hana. she's laying on the floor while she plays with her dolls. i grab a doll for myself and begin playing with her. as i am doing so, the atmosphere in the house seems to have become more lighter and fresher, making me feel a bit more relax and less tense. not only that, our pheromones in room were beginning to blend with each other.
ha, this feels...strangely comforting.
🌷🌷🌷
before i know it, minho is saying "foods ready" and hana quickly gets up and runs to the other side of the kitchen to the dinning table. "mmm! smells good, big brother!" hana exclaims as she tries getting up a chair. i help her take a seat on the chair and once she's sat i glance at minho was bring the plates of food to the table.
"do you need some help?" i ask.
minho shakes his head. "no, it's okay. you should sit beside hana though," he says.
"right," i mumble and take a seat beside hana at the dinning table.
minho gives hana her small baby plate food and hana immediately digs in. shortly after he places my plate food in front of me. "thanks," i said.
minho hums, "you're welcome."
he takes a seat across from me and hana and we start to eat our food in the silence of the house. the first bite is delicious, and i hadn't noticed minho who waited to see my reaction until to met his gaze. "wow, this is seriously delicious. i'm amazed you're here right now and not owning a restaurant," i comment.
minho chuckles, at my reaction. "thanks~" he says with a grin on his face.
i feel my cheeks start to feel warm and i lower my head so i could hide my blushing face. hana who seems to be hearing our conversation strikes in and says, "i love it when big brother cooks. he makes yummy food..!"
minho smiles and gently ruffles her hair. "thank you, hana. i'll make sure to cook a lot more, hmm?"
hana smiles brightly at the response she gets. "yay!"
she looks at me, and i give her a soft smile. "remember to eat your food, k?" i reminded, knowing how sometimes she forgets she's supposed to eat in order for her stomach to feel full rather than empty.
she hums and picks up fork and continues eating.
i return to my food and start eating as well.
"thank you for the food," i tell minho once i've finished all the food. he looks at me fondly and hums enthusiastically as he stands up and grabs my plate and hana's small baby plate that he puts on the sink along with his.
"good, right?" he says it as if he already knows the answer.
i nod in agreement. "yup, it was delicious."
minho sighs in relief, even though he knows he'll even so receive such a compliment back. "that's good," he says as he glances at hana who is now resting her head on the table with a sulking expression on her face.
"you wanna take a nap, hana?" i ask.
hana shakes her head. "no..." she whispers, and begins trying to get off the chair. quickly, minho goes up to her and grabs her; bringing her to the hip of his side. "wanna take another stroll outside?" minho suggested.
i decide not to interfere and tell him that we already did earlier. but, to be honest, i don't wanna really mind if we do. i could use some fresh air.
hana is suddenly wide awake and she nods her head excitedly. minho chuckles quietly and begins walking to the front. "han-ssi, if you want, you can stay here and just relax if you'd like. i know you went out for a walk earlier," minho suddenly said.
i can't help but smile at his thoughtfulness, but i shrug my shoulders either way. "ah, it's fine. i could use some fresh air, actually."
minho hums and places hana on the stroller. "don't worry, we won't walk far or for so long," minho reassures. "i just know hana likes going out a lot and its sorta soothing for her, you know?"
i hum, even though i'm half distracted by his face. "uh-huh, okay, sure."
minho with his foot presses on the button on the back to remove the brakes of the stroller. he looks back at me and flashes me a grin. "ready?" he asks.
i hum (i think that's the only thing i know how to do now). he turns around and opens the door for us. carefully, he brings the stroller out of the house. afterwards, i walk out and close the door behind me.
🌷🌷🌷
minho and i are now walking side by side each other as minho pushes the stroller. I keep my nerves down, trying to recompose myself for any sort of question he'll want to ask me. I brace myself.
"do you like taking care of hana?" minho asks the question that expectedly makes me jump back into my nerves.
"erm, yes. it's nice," i hope my reply satisfies him.
"how so?" as expected, he's still wants to hear more.
"um...she's a sweet girl. she talks to me like we're best friends. and, i like that. it's nice to hear i can be friends with babies that will most definitely forget about me in the future. even though i won't. which is...kinda sad for me," i honestly spoke my true feelings.
minho trails off a soft hum. "hmm...so, if you two are best friends, then that makes us best friends too, right?"
i chuckle quietly, "yes. sure, if that's what you want."
minho sighs in relief. "good to hear then. wait but, you do know i'm being serious right? like, i genuinely mean for us to be good friends."
"even if we're different. even if, i'm an omega and you're an alpha?" i question, trying hard to believe him.
minho has a expression on his face that's says 'what's-so-wrong-about-that?' and he doesn't hesitate to answer, "yes."
i raise a brow, still unable to believe his word. i want to tell him how we're even supposed to be friends when i don't even feel like a friend to my friend group. i want tell him how we're supposed to be friends when our second gender is completely the opposite and dangerous it can be. i want to tell him that "friendship" for us, probably won't work out because i'm an omega who will end up falling for him. friendship, isn't in our nature, is it?
"so what?" minho says, "so what if we're different? just because i'm an alpha and you're an omega doesn't mean we can't be friends."
wrong.
"i don't think it's a good idea," i mumble.
"why so?" minho wonders, glancing to see my face.
"well, we don't know anything about each other—"
"that's a start, jisung," minho quickly interrupts.
i don't know why but his eagerness to be my friend makes me laugh. "what~? what's so funny?" minho chuckles too, probably realizing how his determination slipped out his personality.
"how do we even become friends?" i say in between chuckles, finding it funny how he really wants to be friends with a complete stranger. i wouldn't be doing any of this if he hadn't done any of what he has done the past hours.
"easy," he says. "we spend time together."
"and what would we be doing in that time?"
"talking, playing games, babysitting hana, etc," he replies.
"etc?" I question.
"yeah, so and so."
i hold back a smile and look at the ground, sill in slight disbelief. "you know..." my tongue gets the best of then. "you're quite different than what i had expected you to be like," i admitted.
"how so?" from the corner of my eye i see minho staring at me, i don't dare to look back.
i shrug my shoulders. "when you walked in the house for the first time i thought you were planing on destroying me," i said.
i hear him mumble something like, "i thought so too," but i pretend not to notice and continue talking.
"you looked so...confident. and, well-collective...i felt, unconscious in a way. i mean, obviously i was attractive by your phenomenal pheromones. i mean, who wouldn't be? but anyway, i somehow got myself to think you were this awful alpha that i should hate...that's the only way i found myself the next day here." i realize then that i've left myself talk more than i needed to and i shut my mouth close.
a beat of silence passes by and minho looks at me. "what happen? are you not going to continue?"
i shake my head. "no. i'm fine," i choke out, a bit embarrassed.
he hums and looks away, out steppingstone halt and he walks to the front of the stroller to look at hana. "she fell asleep," minho says.
"should we go home now...?" i wonder.
minho looks at me. "do you wan go home?" he asks instead.
i hesitate to answer. "erm...i don't mind still walking," i say even though i sorta don't want to. to be honest, i think it's better to walk outside than be inside the house all awkward. i guess you can say there's a plus to being out here.
minho seems to have agreed with this, because he goes back to pushing the stroller as we continue walking on the sidewalk. "hana's a good kid, you know that?" i don't know why he's suddenly saying this, but it makes me crack a smile.
is this his way of starting a conversation?
"yeah, i know that," i softly respond.
minho shakes his head and then says, "i don't know why i said that...erm...actually, there's this small concert that's going to happen somewhere i know, i was gonna ask if you wanted to go see it...? get close, you know?" minho has this awkward tone to his voice, and i let out a nervous small quiet laugh.
"you don't want to?" minho interrupts, probably guessing that my laugh meant me saying 'no.'
i shake my head though. "no, no, that's not it...i just...it still feels weird," i admit.
minho's brows furrowed. "why..?"
i shrug my shoulders, he continues talking. "just think of it as normal human beings getting to know each other. no second gender thing. no omega, no alpha, just us. being humans, hmm?"
i look at my feet as they take small steps. "okay...i'll try to do that.."
minho lets out a breath of relief. "yes, that's it...so, you down to go?" he seems eager for me to say 'yes', and i don't want to ruin it by answering 'no.' it's not like i don't want to go, because i do want to go...but i hardly ever go out...and now this? i'm gonna be so awkward. i hate being awkward.
minho must've realized what was going through my mind and he interrupts my thoughts of rejection when he says, "i'll be with you the entire time. i won't leave you, i'll stay right by your side."
i look at him in uncertainty, but i find myself giving in to his tender gaze. "fine...i'll go."
minho's lips turn into a proud smile.
"when exactly is it?" i questioned.
"saturday, at five. i could pick you up if you want."
i shake my head at that. "no, it's fine. just sent me the address."
"you'll have to give me your number then," minho cheekily replies back.
i let out a sigh and grab my phone from my back pocket. hesitatingly, i hand him my phone. "use it for important purposes only," i precisely said, even though i know he'll probably won't do it.
as expected, he gives me a grin. "but we're friends."
i try not to roll my eyes back in a playful manner knowing i'm still weary about this new friendship. "right...friends."
🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷
merry jolly christmas to
those who celebrate it!!!