on these stars
title: on these stars
pairing: het!minkey
genre: romance
rating: pg
an; it's been forever since i've written something ;A; hope you like it!
i've been california wishing on these stars,
for your heart, for me.
Minjung looks up at Key and sighs when a loud crash from downstairs interrupts them in the middle of discussing the science fair project. Minjung gives Key a little smile when he looks at her like she should do something about it (she does, she just doesn't know how to). Key gives a little snort because he's Key and they go back to talking over the piece of paper filled with her chicken scratch and his neat, clean cursive letters. They almost reach a conclusion when a loud slap resonates through the house and Key watches as vulnerability flash in Minjung's eyes before she gets up and rushes out of the room.
She rushes down the stairs as she hears the front door slam close. She hopes the slap was her mother finally standing up to that jerk and not the other way around. When she reaches the doorway, she has to hold back her tears. Her mother's shaking figure is lying there and when their eyes meet, Minjung feels as if her whole world just collapsed because the look in her mother's eyes is shameful.
"I don't get it, mom, why don't you just leave him?" Minjung asks for the nth time since forever. And for the nth time, her mother replies with the same, stubborn answer, hand coming to rest on Minjung's cheek.
"Because I love him and he gave me my most precious, most beautiful gift."
Key watches from the doorway and he feels a strange urge to just pick Minjung up and protect her from all the cruel, ugly monsters of the world. Now he understands why she's always so guarded a quiet, and truth be told, that was the thing about her that interested him the most. He went as far as threatening Jonghyun that he'll cut his tiny balls off if he didn't give him Minjung's name that he miraculously picked out of the hat in science class.
-
"Hey," Minjung appears at the door, looking so, so tired, and continues, "Sorry about that."
"It's alright."
"It's getting late, you should be getting home."
Key looks at his watch and says, "Yeah, you're right, I should, but I think you should come here and see what I came up with first."
"No, I think you should really go," Minjung insists, feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders. Key gives her the look, but underneath it was nothing but softness. Minjung craves and walks over to Key, wanting this to be over already when she gets pulled down onto him. Minjung tries to push him away but Key is actually a lot stronger than he looks and she gives in after two minutes of useless struggling. She shivers when he chuckles into her ear, hot breath tickling her skin.
A wave of fatigue and stress break Minjung's dam and tears start cascading down her face, dampening Key's designer t-shirt.
"I was such a girl back there, I couldn't even help my mom, I couldn't do anything," she says in between sobs. Key pats her hair and exhales.
"I don't normally do this so you better listen because I'm going to say this once and only once."
"Sometimes, you are way too quiet and you have way too much charisma. You walk down the halls with your head held up high and those mile long legs strutting out from under our school's ugly uniform skirt; you have no idea what you're doing. You are way too competitive, you are way too smart, and you are too conservative. You act way too much like a dude, too. You don't squeal over magazines, you don't put on nail polish, you don't --"
"Yah, you're not making feel any better," Minjung complains, ready to push Key away, this again was proved futile against his killer strength.
"Shh, babe, I'm not done," Key hushes her and continues before she can say or complain about anything else.
"That's what makes you, you. But what I'm trying to say is that it's okay to be a girl sometimes. It's okay to be afraid, it's okay to not know what to do, it's okay to be fearful, it's okay to cry, it's okay to love and it's okay to be loved."
At this point in Key's long-winded speech, Minjung starts crying again because he's an asshole and what he's saying is right. Key cradles her in his lap and takes a big breath.
"So, Minjung-ah, let me love you."
Minjung stops crying and her sobs turn into hiccups as she lifts her head and looks at Key. They look at each other for an eternity, when in actuality was only five seconds, and they break eye contact, cheeks burning. Key makes a move to leave and Minjung panics, grasping desperately at his t-shirt.
"Don't go," she pleads and Key sits back down, not knowing what to do.
"Just, stay here for a little longer, please."
She crawls back into his lap and they stay like that for five minutes before Minjung speaks up.
"Okay."
Key nuzzles into her hair, her fingers ghosting over his collar bone.
"Okay," he smiles.
Stephens