Nickhun’s POV
“Where is Hanul right now?”, I asked, walking out of the bathroom. I’d just eaten, showered, and brushed my teeth. It felt good.

“Shopping”, Jaebum answered. He was sprawled on the couch, reading. Reading. I didn’t even know he could read.

“So the next awards ceremony is in a week?”, he asked.

“Yeah…”

“Hey, Jay hyung”, I said, hesitating. I was pretty sure that things were settled between us, but I still had to confirm…

“What’s up?”

“You’re… coming back, right? You’re still our leader?”

“Do you all still want me back?”, Jaebum said, seeming surprised. “I thought you were all pissed that I ditched you right before the comeback.”

 “As if. Are you telling me you wouldn’t forgive Wooyoung or Junsu or any other member if they did the same thing as you?”

Jaebum was silent. He knew the answer was that he would forgive them, regardless of the situation. We were a family ourselves, always bickering maybe, but that’s what families are supposed to do.

“Nickhun, once you deal with everything you need to do here, I’ll return with you.”

“Thank you.”

“No, thank you. Believe it or not, some part of me missed our dirty dorm.” He laughed.

I swatted my towel at him. “Missed you too. Now, where did you say Hanul went?”

I had taken the bus to the shopping center, but… I had no idea where she could be. I was randomly crossing sidewalks and walking through parks… when I saw her.

My breath caught. She was so beautiful. She was so breathtakingly and wonderfully pretty. To me, at least, she stood out a mile from the passerbyers. Yoona of SNSD could walk by, and I wouldn’t glance even once. My eyes were fixated on her.  She was standing just on the other side of the crosswalk, staring at something in her hand. Everyone was moving around her and was blocking their way. I suppose I was also blocking the way; I was too busy staring at her to move my feet and actually cross the sidewalk. The lights turned green and the pedestrian sign said “STOP.” I was hoping she would look up and see me now….

But then my breath caught in a different way as she leaped into the crosswalk without warning, right in front of an incoming truck.

I automatically raced forward, my heart crashing in my chest, but was violently held back by other pedestrians.  

“Sir, you can’t-“

“Please don’t try-“

“She’s already done for.”

She’s already done for. She’s already done for.

“LET ME GO!”, I screamed, but it was drowned out by the blaring horn of the truck.

My hands stretched out, my heart thundering like a stampede of rioters, I watched with eyes wide open as she… barely avoided the truck.

She crashed onto the sidewalk, her arm flung out.

, was she okay!?

That’s what I meant to ask, but instead, without even really being conscious of it, I was screaming at her.

“WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST DO?”

She looked up at me, startled.

 “HANUL, DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU JUST DID?”, I yelled at her, practically screaming my lungs out.

She was still on the ground, breathless, in that awkward position.

“DO YOU WANT TO KILL YOURSELF?”

She just stared up at me, breathing heavily.

I leaned out and tried to help her up.

She swatted my hand away. As she did, something fell out of her hand and onto the sidewalk.

!!!

Was that-? Wasn’t that the-?

Before I could confirm anything, she swooped it up off the ground and clutched it tightly in her fist. I could see the veins in her hand straining.

No, she wasn’t getting out of this one if I really just saw what I thought I did.

I grabbed her wrist and pried open her tightly resisting fingers.

Damn, girl had strength. XP

But there it was. Right in her hand.

Our engagement ring…

I slowly registered what had just happened. She had risked her life, put it on equal balance as a piece of metal… why?

I traced her hand with my eyes, then her arm, her neck, up to her eyes, where she was looking back at me.

“Sul mah… you’re not telling me this is the reason why you almost-?”

Her eyes were endlessly deep and filled with an emotion I couldn’t understand as they stared back at me.

I gripped her wrist tightly and pulled her behind me to a secluded park. I stopped in front of a little bus stop that was now deserted.

She pulled out of my grip and folded her arms automatically.

 “Why are you here?”, she said.

She was looking me straight in the eyes as she said it.

Rather taken aback, I stuttered out the first and most honest answer in my brain.

“I wanted to see you.”

She scoffed.

I have to admit, that was a pretty ridiculous answer.

“You’re late.” She checked her watch. “Years late.”

Look who was getting sassy.

 “How hurt are you, because of me?”, I asked. “Really. You don’t have to pretend.”

Something in her eyes dimmed, but she continued with her sassy façade.

“I quit waiting for you years ago.”

She started to walk away. I didn’t want to forcefully touch her again. Not after that disastrous kiss.

“I’m going to wait for you! Right here! I’m not going to move!”, I called.

She kept walking away until she was just a speck in the distance.

I sighed, so this is what it’s like to court someone.

To be honest, I’m not a patient person.

But for this one person, I will be.

Because she had done all these things for me.

Because she had been patient, loving, caring, sacrificing, and lonely for my sake, the sake of a person who didn’t deserve any of her love and generosity. Her avoiding me was her way of telling me that she couldn’t trust me, and now was my opportunity to show her, once and for all, that she could depend on me and that I had never been unloyal, that I had always, always been hers, just waiting. Simply waiting. That’s all.

I stood out in front, determined.

The Sky Will Always Come Back.

Hanul’s POV

I walked away, angrily huffing.

Who the hell did he think he was?

No one can wipe out years of pain in three seconds.

What an arrogant jerk.

But three hours later, when it started to rain…

And then five hours later, when it was pouring rain…

He would at least be smart enough to go inside the bus stop, right?

Yeah, he would.

Right?

Right…?

…Right?

UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhh!

I sprinted out of the café where I had been and ran back to the park.

And finally, out of breath, I came to the bus stop.

I couldn’t believe it.

He was still there, in the same exact spot.

He was absolutely drenched and shivering violently from head to toe.

He had his arms crossed and was chafing his arms to help keep himself warm. 

He looked up when I arrived, and a brilliant grin stretched across his face.

But for me, my heart hurt.

So he had been waiting for me this whole time.

Every since I left, he had been waiting for me; afraid, shy, scared, unsure this whole time.

He had always, always been there.

I felt my eyes water up, but at that moment he said, “You came” with a carefree joy.   

A part of me was so exasperated; couldn’t he at least ease my conscience by going inside the bus stop?

“What am I going to do with you!? You’re like a child!”, I shouted at him.

He grinned mischievously and cocked his head. “That’s why you love me, right?”

I ignored his remark, and pushed him into the bus stop. The rain was really pouring now.

Both of us were soaked to the skin.

“Thank you”, he said.

“For what, making you wait for hours in the freezing rain? Or for breaking your heart by leaving you?”, I said back. My heart hurt so badly that I thought I was physically dying. I felt so guilty. My heart was going to burst with regret. 

“Hanul”, he reached out and pulled my shirt, dragging me closer to him.
I resisted against him, but he was too strong.
He leaned his forehead against my hip. 

I tried to push him away, but his arms wrapped around my waist, anchoring me to him.

I struggled, but he wouldn’t let me budge.

“Hanul”, he murmured. I could feel his hot breath through my jeans soaked with rain. I shivered.

“I’ve wanted to tell you something ever since that first day you came back to Korea. No, I’ve wanted to tell you this ever since you left for America.”

I stood stiffly. What else would he blame on me?
“I love you. And I’m sorry.”

I stood there, shocked. I had been longing to hear those words…

I felt him lift his head to look up at me.

“Hanul, are you crying?”, he asked, alarmed at the sight of my tears. 

“No, Hanul is raining”, I replied back as sassily as I could through my tears.

“Hanul…”, he stood up, gripping my arms, making it impossible for me to run away.

I couldn’t look away either. Not anymore. I couldn’t deny what I was feeling.

And Nickhun couldn’t either.

We couldn’t hold it anymore.

Not. One. More-

He leaned in towards me slowly, a millimeter a minute.

He came closer, closer, closer.

His eyes focused on my lips.

His hands gripped mine more tightly.

His lips were level to mine.

Closer.

Closer.

Close.

And then.

They touched.

My heart exploded, and I melted.

I felt tears run down my face, but his lips were so gentle, soft. So caressing.

So sweet.

The lips of one I could trust.

And at that moment, I finally, finally, found the courage to kiss him back.

I responded to him, my lips synchronized with his in an intricate and lovely dance.

His lips were telling a story as they were pressed against mine.

He was telling me that he loved me.

He pressed me to him, harshly pulling me against him with a jerk by the belt loops of my jeans.
My hands landed on his chest.

His hand slowly traveled up my back to my hair, lost in my long locks.

My hand somehow wound itself into his hair, short, soft, and smooth.

I subtly pushed him so that he was sitting back down on the bench.

I was on top of him, kissing him.

His hands lay on my hips, his face turned upwards to meet mine.

His arms wrapped around my hips, securing my body against his.

I could feel the transfer of body heat. I shivered with pleasure.

So this is what it was like to kiss.

To taste warmth, love, a mix of sugar, and spice.

My hand found his strong jaw, caressed it.

My other hand lay on his chest, well-formed, handsome, strong.

I was now sitting on his lap, comfortable there.
My legs wrapped around his hips naturally as we kissed.

He stood up, breaking the kiss, holding me with his strong arms alone.

My arms were around his neck.

He carried me out to the rain, so refreshing and cool when only a few moments before it had been freezing cold.

I felt the rain wash away our pains, our sorrows, our wounds, where they would disperse to flowers, to whom human sorrows mean nothing to.

He looked up at me again, with shining and beautiful eyes.

“Why are you so beautiful?”, he whispered softly.

And then he kissed me again.

My hair fell over my shoulder, covering us from the rain.

We kissed under an umbrella.

An umbrella made of sky. 

And they were watching. All of them.

Sirius, Vega, Alpha Centuri, Leo, Regulus…

Please, watch over us.

And bless this man whom I love for all his life.

I will always, always, return to him.

Thank you for allowing me to have him in my life.

a/n: that is technically the end of the "love story", but we still have the debut and 2pm and the awards ceremony. ^^ i've also written the proper proposal, wedding, bachelor's night... <3 so, there's a LOT left. i hope this satisfied some of your frustration at nickhun and hanul. and you know, from the beginning, i've known that nickhun is actually spelled nichkhun. guess the korean pronunciation just makes me spell it the way i do. <3 i hope you like the remaining chapters, they are TONS of fun with lots of minor characters, and there's one more group coming in that mayvin recommeded a longgg time ago. (: