𓍯17𓂃

The next day, Megan and Hyejin looked in horror. The Minho stood before them, bent at a perfect ninety-degree angle, his voice clear and firm.

"I'm sorry for being such a nuisance to you guys. I promise to be better."

Megan and Hyejin stared at him, their faces caught somewhere between disgust and shock.

Megan was the first to break the silence. "When Dove said that you apologized sincerely... I did not think that we'd get that same treatment."

Hyejin winced. "I'm sorry, but ew. It's not like you at all."

Minho straightened up, rolling his eyes. "Wow, you guys really know how to make a guy feel good about self-improvement."

Hyejin made a face. "Self-improvement? Or are you just in your guilt-ridden, repentant era?"

Megan smirked. "He's in his 'Dove still cares about me enough to be disappointed in me' era."

Minho groaned. "I take it back. I regret apologizing."

Hyejin waved him off. "Too late, we accept it. Now, don't do it again. It's unsettling."

Minho let out an exaggerated sigh, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, yeah, I figured."

Megan crossed her arms. "Good. Because just because you apologized doesn't mean you get to act like everything's normal."

Hyejin nodded. "Yeah. You made a mess, Minho. One sorry isn't gonna magically fix everything."

Minho huffed. "I know that, okay? But what do you want me to do? Crawl on my hands and knees? Buy you both a lifetime supply of coffee?"

Megan and Hyejin exchanged glances.

"That's actually not a bad start," Megan mused.

Hyejin grinned. "Yeah, I could be bribed."

Minho rolled his eyes. "I'm regretting this conversation more and more."

Megan smirked, her tone turning more serious. "Look, Minho. You've still got a long way to go with Dove. But if you're actually trying? Then we'll tolerate you."

Hyejin narrowed her eyes. "Barely."

Minho gave them a dry look. "I'll take what I can get."

Megan sighed, glancing past Minho, her expression softening slightly. "Speaking of Dove..."

Minho followed her gaze, his stomach twisting slightly when he saw Dove walking across the courtyard. She hadn't noticed them yet, her focus on her airpods, probably listening to the song she was gonna perform for the competition. A moment of hesitation flickered across Minho's face, but then Megan nudged him.

"Go," she said simply.

Minho didn't move. Instead, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I don't wanna rush things with Dove," he admitted, surprising both Megan and Hyejin. "I messed up. Like, big time. If I suddenly start acting like I've completely changed overnight, it's just gonna overwhelm her. She already has enough to deal with."

Megan raised an eyebrow. "So... you're telling me you actually thought this through?"

Hyejin crossed her arms. "And you're not just expecting her to just switch back immediately as if you didn't have a rocky past because you finally realized you were an idiot?"

Minho shot them both a flat look. "Contrary to popular belief, I do have a functioning brain."

Megan and Hyejin exchanged looks again, clearly still surprised.

"Wow," Megan muttered. "Character development."

Hyejin snorted. "It's kinda freaking me out."

Minho groaned. "Okay, can you guys not act like me being emotionally aware is some kind of anomaly?"

"It is an anomaly," Megan shot back.

Minho rolled his eyes but glanced back at Dove, his expression softening for just a moment. "I just... don't wanna make things harder for her. That's all."

Megan's smirk faded slightly. "That's... actually kind of sweet."

Hyejin hummed. "Kinda. But you're still annoying."

Minho exhaled sharply. "Yeah, yeah. I get it."

Megan nudged him again, a little gentler this time. "Just take it one step at a time, Minho. You've got a lot to make up for."

Minho nodded, shoving his hands back into his pockets. "I know."

And for once, he really meant it.

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Dove's

I was currently walking around the courtyard, airpods blasting with the song I was gonna perform when I saw Dae sitting alone by the bleachers with his books long forgotten as just sat there, lost in thought. I decided to approach him.

"Hey." I say, pulling him out of his thoughts as he greeted me back.

"Hey, Dove." He says with a tired smile before moving his books away to make space for me to sit.

I settle onto the bleachers beside Dae, slipping my AirPods into their case. My fingers tap against the smooth plastic as my eyes flicker over to him-just for a second too long. The bruise on his cheekbone is hard to miss.

Dae catches me staring and lets out a soft chuckle, shaking his head. "Don't look at my face," he says, half-joking but mostly not. "It's already bad enough without you making that pity face."

I blink, caught off guard. "I wasn't-"

"You were," he interrupts, tilting his head at me. "It's fine, though. I'd probably look too if I were you."

I huff, rolling my eyes, but I can't stop the hint of a smile from tugging at my lips. "It's not a pity face. More like... an 'I can't believe you actually fought Minho' face."

Dae exhales, leaning back against the bleachers. "Yeah, well. Can't believe it either." He pauses, rubbing at the side of his jaw. "Guess it was overdue."

I tilt my head. "Overdue?"

He shrugs, gaze fixed ahead. "Doesn't matter."

But it does. And I know it.

I sigh, shifting closer without really thinking about it. My arm slips around his free one, my fingers curling around the soft fabric of his sleeve as I lean my head against his shoulder. He tenses for just a second-like he wasn't expecting it-but then he exhales, the tension melting away as he lets me stay.

"Your feelings matter, Dae," I murmur, my voice quiet but certain. "And it's okay."

For a moment, he doesn't say anything. I can feel the way his breathing slows, like he's trying to process my words, like he's not used to hearing them. He shifts slightly, just enough that his cheek barely brushes against my hair.

"Yeah," he finally murmurs, but there's hesitation in his voice, like he's not sure if he believes it. "Maybe."

I squeeze his arm gently, grounding him. "Not maybe. Definitely."

This time, his exhale is different. Lighter. I can't see his face, but I can hear the small chuckle that escapes him, warm and quiet.

"You always this stubborn?" he asks, amusement slipping into his tone.

A smile tugs at my lips as I close my eyes for a brief second, letting the moment settle between us. "You have no idea."

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

🥹 more DaeDo (give me a break, that's the best i could think of 😭) crumbs?

I kinda like how calm and peaceful DaeDo are while DoMin is like a chaotic and dramatic adrenaline boost.

Call me weird, but I like how Minho decides to give her space instead of fully behaving like everything is chill 😩