Love Conquers All
By: Kasumi Izukawa
You're holding the smallest paper bag out of the bunch, filled with the lightest of things while Zen is clutching the three heaviest ones in his arms, not that he's having any trouble with them considering how often he works out. You can't help but look at him out of the corner of your eye and mentally swoon at how manly he is despite being so beautiful. He catches you staring, after all you've stopped in front of the apartment door now, and smirks. "The keys are in my pocket." His voice is smooth as velvet. He knows all his charms and how to use them, especially on you. Since his hands are full and yours are free, you slip your hand in his pants pocket to fish for the bunch of keys there. You blush because the heat of his skin through his pants and the way he's just staring at you from so close makes your heart beat faster that you feel like it's going to jump out of your rib cage. Yes, you've been so much closer before but he still makes you feel like a little school girl with a crush sometimes. You manage to get the keys without further embarrassing yourself. The chuckle he releases, however, as you fumble with putting them in the hole lets you know that he isn't unaware of what he does to you. Sometimes Zen really is such a tease. But he's back to being a gentleman once you unlock the door and twist the handle and he's the one pushing it open for you with his shoulder and holding it open with his back despite the heavy load he's carrying. He spoils you to no end and you love him even more for it.
You both head to the kitchen to unpack the groceries: the meats in the freezer, the detergent under the sink, the tea in the cupboard. You don't bump into each other as you do so, used to the routine after living together for a little over three months now. But when he closes the cupboard and sees you bent over at the waist as you try to rearrange the middle shelf of the refrigerator to make room for the milk, he stays still. Your shirt has ridden up and he sees a couple of inches of skin between that and your khakis. It was anything provocative but you always awaken the beast inside of him with the simplest of gestures. You feel his arms wrap around your waist and you squeal as you're lifted from the ground. "Zeeeennnn…" You whine but your tone says you aren't really complaining. You're deposited on the kitchen counter as Zen nuzzles your neck. You giggle, wrapping your arms loosely around his own, hands weaving themselves in his smooth long hair. He places a kiss underneath your jaw and moves up, brushing his soft lips against your skin and leaving a trail of heat. He looks at you eye to eye and you can feel the passion and adoration that he has for you. "I am so glad to have met you." He whispers. You smile brightly at him. "Me too. Even if the circumstances were weird. I guess it's one thing we have to thank that psycho for." It was the wrong thing to say. You know he hates how you always pretend that you're strong about this. Not when you still wake up shaken from another nightmare. Nightmares of cold hands, pale skin, dark tattoos and white hair with pink tips. Of you being brainwashed and tortured. Of Zen dying. And you cling to him after as you whisper incoherent words that he tries to soothe throughout the night, the taste of salt on his lips as he kisses your tears away. You're brought back from your trauma when he growls, face contorted in anger. "We don't owe that bastard anything." He says fiercely. It's so touching that someone is angry on your behalf. Zen is fiercely protective, and understandably so. And you've never felt more secure. So you say, "Thank you for being my prince charming. I love you." The words do the trick because even after three months, you haven't been able to say it until now. He knows because he sees the way you look at him, he feels it with how you touch him, but it's the first time he's heard the words and it drives the point home. This is real and it's forever and he is never going to let go.
It's the perfect time, he thinks. So he pulls back and you look at him, confused and a little hurt. Because after that confession, you expected him to kiss you. Possibly carry you into the bedroom and show you. Instead, he's kneeling on the kitchen floor, looking up at you with so much joy and...oh gosh….he's holding a ring. "My love, I know it's a little too sudden but you know the depth of my feelings for you. The joy I feel when you're around. The changes I've made for the better. Before you, I thought that the only thing that life had in store for me was loneliness and an empty apartment. So I threw myself into my work. Banked on my looks. All to escape what I already knew was missing. But you changed all that. You made my life better. I'm still a workaholic but I've started to mend my relationship with my family. I've stopped being angry at Jumin. I've felt a lot less insecure about my career and my talent. You've brought so much joy into my life in such a short amount of time and I've never been as happy. People might think that it's just the start of our relationship, that our feelings are fleeting. But I know that no matter what we face, I would always want to face them with you. I love you with my whole heart. So will you marry me?" You're crying half way through the speech but you nod your head at the question. "Yes, of course." His grin is brilliant, much more brilliant than when he's in the spotlight. He rushes to kiss you, passionate and deep, an outpouring of all the love he has for you. And once you pull apart, he slips the ring into your finger, grinning idiotically at his good fortune.
You know things won't be easy moving forward. Zen's career is still budding, his relationship with his family still needs work, and the guy who threatened to kidnap you is still out there. But this time you know that love can conquer all.
AN: Gosh I haven't written for so long but I couldn't help it. When I played Mystic Messenger and found out how incredibly complex the characters are, the words just overflowed. This is unbeta-d and unedited but I had to get it out of my system. I hope you liked it! I still haven't finished the other routes and other characters but I'm sure I'd write more for them once I'm done.