As far as Parker is concerned, Mina is going to be the death of him.
And he means this quite literally.
He blinks, black dots swarming his vision and a distinct pain throbbing just behind his eyes. There's a fuzzy figure leaning over him, and as he narrows his eyes, Mina's face comes into focus. His entire body hurts.
She sucks her teeth, cringing. "I'm sorry. Are you dead?"
Parker blinks again, considering it. "Ask me again in five minutes."
Mina frowns as she crouches over him, eyes searching his face. "Are you going to be okay? I didn't mean- normal people don't immediately throw themselves on the ground when they get scared, okay? I cannot go to prison because my boyfriend is a baby. I refuse."
"What can I say, I guess I'm just falling for you." He flashes her a weary grin.
"If those are your last words, you deserve to die."
He laughs weakly, but it quickly morphs into a wince as the pain burns at the back of his head, point of floor-to-skull impact. His memory feebly recalls stepping through the doorway with a grocery bag in hand, a loud "Boo!" erupting in his ear, and then darkness.
Parker's eyes widen "The cupcakes!"
As he instinctively shoots up into a sitting position, his forehead collides with Mina's, and then she's falling back with a cry, arms flailing. Parker hisses in pain, his palm clutching to the additional pain blossoming on his forehead as his other hand reaches after the girl.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry, Mina, please, baby, I'm so sorry. Are you okay? I'm so sorry," he murmurs, his words rushing together as he crawls over to her, ignoring the pulsing in his skull.
Her eyes are closed, a hand pressed over her forehead as she leans her back to the counter, lips pressed thinly together.
"If I'm permanently disfigured, you are going to have to marry me and stay with me forever. And I take back every apology I've ever given you. And you better make me that ravioli I like. Forever."
"In a heartbeat," he agrees immediately, fingers hovering right next to her cheek.
One of her eyes peeks open, and she pinches her nose.
"I don't think that's much of a deal considering you're going to accidentally kill us both in under a year. I'm also adding at least twenty massages to the tally. And good massages."
"Of course," he beams at her. "Let's make it thirty for good measure. Thirty is just a better number for a better girlfriend, which you still are to me, and you can't back out now. Because there's cupcakes."
Their eyes meet, and her's are narrowed in defiance, until she sighs. "Fine, okay, now pass me over those cupcakes or someone will die. And it won't be me."
He grins, too broadly for someone who was almost knocked unconscious, and quickly scrambles to scoop up the box that's been abandoned on the floor. Then Parker's pushing it into her hands, visibly buzzing with excitement as he urges her to open it, open it, hurry up and open it.
For good measure, she lifts the lid excruciatingly slow. He frowns very pointedly at her. Her eyes drop down to see three rows of cupcakes, a little haphazard and slightly skewed from the fall but still mostly in tact. As her eyes read over the icing, HAPPY 1 YEAR I ♡ U, something inside of her warms.
"Happy one year, Mina," Parker says, voice uncharacteristically soft.
She lifts her gaze, and suddenly her breath hitches in her throat. Emotions that have been brewing just underneath the surface begin to swirl dangerously in her chest, overwhelming her senses, both chaotic and tranquil all at once in the most inexplicable way.
She draws a deep breath.
"I love you."
It's her first time saying it.
Parker blinks, pauses, takes a moment to let the words sink in, and then he's colliding his mouth against her's.
Mina quickly shoves the box out the way to allow for Parker to settle between her legs, eagerly returning the kiss and taking advantage of the new-found proximity to carefully weave her fingers through his hair. His lips feel warm and familiar moving against her own, the scent of his aftershave tickling her breath and the heat of his hands roaming to rest on her hips. Despite it all, this time, she thinks, it feels different.
Different in the way that her fingertips are tingling and her chest feels as if it's exploding and different in the way that he pulls back, gaze capturing her's, and grins.
"I love you too." It's his fifth.
She's the one that pulls him back to her by the scruff of his shirt. He issues a pleased hum from the back of her throat when he deepens the kiss, adventurous fingers travelling further up her shirt and drifting just under her bra with suggestive intentions. Her skin feels like it's on fire. Parker's head is still spinning.
"Stop making out, it's kart time, bitches!"
Parker freezes, and Mina pulls back, flipping off her middle finger.
"Go away, Kevin!" she moans, adding another middle finger for good measure. "Why does he have a key again?"
Parker leans back, turning his head to see Kevin in the doorway, and grins. "I couldn't not give him a key. It's Kevin."
Kevin beams. "And Kevin says it's kart time."
Mina shoots him a deadpan look. "You guys literally play Mario Kart every single day."
"And yet, you still always come in 11th place."
Mina turns her attention back to Parker, scowling. "I'm going to kill Kevin."
"You can't kill Kevin," Parker says, laughing.
Mina pouts. When Kevin disappears back into the living room, and Parker's moving to follow after him, she grabs his shirt and presses one more quick kiss to his mouth. Parker makes a noise of surprise, but then leans into it, a hand reaching to cup her cheek but it's already too late. She's up and out of the room.
"Kevin I hope you prepared your will because you are so going down."
***
TA-DA! this is the bonus WE HIT ONE MILLION OH MY GOD GUYS chapter because if you haven't noticed WE HIT ONE MILLION OH MY GOD GUYS and that is still staggering and the most awesome to me. so awesome, in fact, that i pumped out this bonus chapter quick as ever (fwte fans u kno) and I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOYED IT. parmina are definitely like one of my favourite ever ever ever characters i've created so i'm glad you've let them into your hearts. :D one million reads i'm shooketh