“You’re parents are nice,” Donghae commented as the front door closed behind them. “Are you sure you know where you’re going?”

“I think so.” Haruki glanced up and down the street. To her surprise, things in her neighborhood hadn’t changed much since she’d left. It was nice to feel the happier memories of her childhood coming back wherever she looked. “The grocery store should be this way, next to the bookstore. That was my favorite place to go after school.”

“Why does that not surprise me?” Donghae murmured as he followed her down the sidewalk. After a moment, he caught up beside her. For a moment, his fingers brushed hers, but when she instinctively flinched away, she saw him shove his hands into his jacket pockets. She looked up at his face, but his expression hadn’t changed.

Jessica had stayed back in the house to help Haruki’s mom with dinner, while Haruki and Donghae had been sent to pick up a few ingredients for the meal. Jessica and Haruki’s mom had gotten along surprisingly well and Haruki had pretended not to be jealous when her mom asked Jessica to stay behind instead of her. But then, remembering Jessica’s relationship with her own parents, she had decided that it would be fine to share her mom, at least for the weekend.

“I think they like you,” Haruki said suddenly. “My parents, I mean.”

“Everyone likes me,” Donghae replied. “Well, almost everyone.” He glanced at her slyly. “You nearly tarnished my perfect record when we first met. Thankfully, you came around.”

Haruki rolled her eyes, but the blush crept up her cheeks. “Shut up, Donghae.”

“I really liked the way you introduced me, by the way,” Donghae added. “‘Hi Mom. Hi Dad. This is my best friend, Jessica. And this is my…Donghae.’” He laughed as she covered her face with her hands. “‘My Donghae’? Geez, a little possessive, aren’t you?”

“I can’t believe I said that,” mumbled Haruki. “I didn’t mean to, it’s just…”

“Just what?” he asked.

“I couldn’t say it,” she said softly. “It felt weird, using that word.”

“Co-worker? Acquaintance? Colleague?” Donghae suggested, raising his eyebrows. Haruki just gave him a look and his tone softened. “Boyfriend? Is that weird?”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

Haruki didn’t answer and he, thankfully, didn’t press. They continued walking down the street and she felt comforted by his presence beside her. She noticed her neighbors, the ones who had been peeping out of their windows when she arrived at her parents’ house to catch a glimpse of the “stranger” returning home for the first time in over ten years, now watching the two of them walking down the sidewalk. Donghae glanced up overhead, puzzled by all the stares. She smiled slightly. He didn’t know how it was to grow up in a small town where everyone had roots stemming back for generations, where everyone knew and talked about everyone else, where the houses were close enough to hear the fights brewing next door.

And the more curious stares she noticed, the more she began to realize just what they were whispering about.

“We don’t make sense,” she murmured.

“What?” Donghae asked, bending his head closer to hers.

“Us. Our relationship,” Haruki replied. “The fact that you, who basically radiates confidence, would ever pay attention to me. It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Opposites attract,” Donghae said jokingly. She just pressed her lips together and he sighed. “Why are we having this conversation, Haruki? I told you, I fell for you. I didn’t analyze your personality to see if it would be compatible with mine.”

“I know.” Haruki felt terrible for even bringing up the topic, but it had been weighing on her mind for so long. “It just doesn’t feel real, sometimes. It’s like a dream. Or a stupid romantic comedy.” She sighed and folded her arms, sneaking a glance at his face as she pretended to look anywhere but at him.

Donghae said nothing, but the crease in his forehead and the slight clench of his jaw made her feel worried.

“I’m not good with…feelings,” she continued. “I don’t know how to express them or even recognize them most of the time. I’ve been suppressing them for so long and spent so many years pretending I didn’t have emotions that I’m not even sure I can feel them right anymore.” She swallowed the tremor in her voice as she said, so quietly, she could barely hear herself, “You deserve better than that, Donghae.”

Donghae grabbed her arm and yanked her to a stop, his grip so tight that it hurt. His eyes were dark as she slowly looked up into them. “You think I don’t know all that? Haruki, I know you have trouble with your feelings. I can see that you’re emotionally damaged. And if you think I care, then you don’t know me at all.”

Haruki’s head snapped up in surprise as he went on. “I don’t ‘deserve’ anything, okay? I want to be with you and I’m aware of what that means. It means that you’re uncomfortable with showing affection. It means that you’ll keep a wall up to protect yourself from getting hurt. It means that it’s too hard for you to even use the word ‘boyfriend’ right now.” His voice softened as his hands dropped to his sides. “I don’t care about any of that. If it takes you a long time to feel comfortable with it, then I’ll wait. If you never feel comfortable with it, then I’m still happy going for a run with you or just sharing takeout over the Star Wars trilogy.”

Her heart swelled so much it hurt and her eyes filled with tears. Without warning, she threw her arms around him and buried her face against his chest. “Haruki?” Donghae asked. She felt his hand uncertainly her hair as he slowly wrapped his other arm around her waist.

It was real. It had to be real because a dream couldn’t hurt this much. Thoughts were swirling in her mind until she couldn’t even grasp a single coherent one. Images flashed in her mind, growing brighter and dimmer with each beat of her racing heart. Her emotions were fighting with each other, pushing and shoving each other out of the way as they struggled for control, choking her voice back until she blurted out, “I love you.”

And suddenly, the turmoil disappeared completely, leaving her drained and exhausted. As the numbness after the storm of emotions settled in, she realized that Donghae had stopped patting her head and was staring at her with the same shock she was feeling.

But it only lasted a moment and he then was grinning from ear to ear. He pulled her close, his eyes locked onto hers for so long she wanted to squirm. “I love you, too,” he murmured.

He glanced up at the neighbors, who were excitedly whispering to one another and wrapped his arm around her, holding her tight against his side. He leaned down and brushed a kiss against her cheek before whispering, “Even better than hearing the word ‘boyfriend’.” 

A/N: And...done! Wow, that was harder than I thought, especially when I started running out of ideas at the end. 

That's it, guys! I'm putting Haruki and the rest of the cast to rest for good. I've been writing about them for almost two and a half years and I think I've fully exhausted their potential (judging by the quality of these drabbles). 

Thanks for all your support everyone! If it weren't for you guys, I probably would have given up a long time ago. Not just on these drabbles, but also on Tit for Tat, or even The Lobotomist. I really appreciate every one of you who took the chance and clicked on my stories, and I'm grateful that you didn't run away after glimpsing into the weirdness that is my brain. You guys are the best! Thank you all!