Archive of Our Own ^beta

Luka scans the crowd through his hazy vision, the drink in his cup sloshing dangerously as he squeezes his way past a bunch of people, searching. From somewhere behind him, he can hear Till letting out a screech and Mizi's delighted laughter. He glances in their direction but he can't exactly make out where they're at.

Damn. Where the hell did he put his glasses?

The party is currently in full-swing, hosted by Isaac and his brother Jacob, to celebrate Jacob's birthday. It wasn't supposed to be a big one, according to Isaac, but Jacob apparently knows too many people and invited as many as he could, so it ended up looking more like a university party than a simple gathering with friends. 

Luka pouts, his head throbbing at the heavy bass from the music blasting in his ears. He can't find Hyuna anywhere. 

She's always who he gravitates to whenever there's a crowd, because no matter how many people there are, Hyuna outshines all of them. To him, at least, she is as bright as all the stars in the galaxy, twinkling and charming. It's like she's on a stage with a spotlight directed at her, highlighting her presence no matter who else is there. He likes her touch, the timbre of her voice, and most of all her smile. He likes everything about Hyuna, really.

Luka finally finds her sitting on a couch, a game controller in her hands. She and Dewey's eyes are fixated on the screen ahead of them. Luka creeps up towards them until he's standing behind Hyuna. He sets his drink down on a table before leaning down, resting on his elbows and dropping his chin on her head.

She jerks, glancing up at him for just a split second before she smiles, her eyes returning to the screen. "Hey."

"Hi," he mumbles, relief settling into his veins at being with her again. 

He stays quiet for a while, watching the game. It's some sort of racing video game. Hyuna is currently losing, her character in second place, but at the final moment, she manages to surpass Dewey and soar past the finish line. She lets out a whoop, tossing her arms in the air and narrowly hitting him in the face. He chuckles. 

After Hyuna passes the controller to Isaac for a turn, she turns to him, her wild gaze softening. "Is everything okay?"

"Mhm." He pauses, considering, before he walks around the couch and drops onto the space next to her. The couch is barely big enough, so half of him ends up on her lap, but he doesn't mind, and neither does she. Hyuna wraps an arm around his shoulder as he nuzzles up to her, resting his cheek on her chest with a sigh.

Like this, everything else seems to fade into the background. The thunderous music becomes a mere hum, the chattering of the endless crowds transition into simple background noise. Even his party clothes, which were feeling particularly itchy, seem to melt away, the only touch he's noticing being Hyuna's warm and gentle hold.

Hyuna laughs at something on the screen, her head tossed back in delight. Dewey says something that has her grinning, all teeth and no control, and her eyes flash different colours alongside the screen's light. Her hair brushes against Luka's cheek and he stares at her, the slope of her jaw and the arch of her eyebrows, and he—

"Hyuna," he calls, heart leaping when she moves those enchanting eyes onto him. "I have a secret."

Her lips quirk up. "Really?" she entertains. "What is it?"

He takes a deep breath. The alcohol is buzzing under his veins, making his head feel light and hazy. There is no control when the words slip from his tongue, tasting heavy but sincere.

"I want to marry you," he confesses. He reaches for her hand, fiddling with her fingers, counting them one by one. His cheeks warm as he thinks of the rings he has hidden in his room, away from wandering eyes. "Will you say yes?"

She stares at him, her lips parted in surprise. Luka reaches up, tucking a bit of hair behind her ear, his touch lingering on her jaw. 

Hyuna breaks out into a small smile. "Ask me again when you're not drunk off your ass, silly."

"You didn't answer the question, though." He frowns.

She giggles, poking his cheek. "I will if you ask me properly!"

"But I am asking you."

"And you'll be mad at yourself if this is how you propose to me, with no ring or anything." She grins. "Not that I mind, but I know you, Luka."

He purses his lips in the barest of pouts. Right now, the only thing running through his head is whether or not Hyuna is answering his question. But then she drops a kiss on his forehead and those thoughts fly out of the window, replaced with a wave of immeasurable love.

He hugs her closer, eyes fluttering shut, and drifts asleep.

"Hyuna!" Luka calls. She is sitting against a tree trunk, her knees drawn to her chest. She's been like this for the past few days, all by herself, her brother threat erased. Luka thinks she must be happy to be alone. 

She looks up, a few strands of hair falling in front of her. She's stopped wearing her hair up for some reason, but Luka thinks she looks very pretty either way. He stumbles towards her, reaching the top of the hill. In his hands, he holds a single red flower.

She stares at it, unflinching. Luka grabs her wrist, unravelling her fingers on his own, the way she always does to him when he's fiddling around too much. It calms his movements, like the slow currents of the rivers in the garden. 

Luka places the flower against her palm, wrapping their fingers up together. 

"What's this for?" she asks. 

Luka beams. He's heard some of the other humans talking about this, and even though he doesn't quite get it, he likes sharing things he learns with Hyuna. She always seems to understand better, anyway, especially when it relates to the other pets. Luka is more well-versed with the aliens. But they complete each other, so that's okay.

"It means we're going to get married," he declares proudly. 

She stills. The wind blows by, rustling the grass and the leaves, and she looks at him with wide, empty eyes. 

Until it all fades, replaced with a golden smile. "You're too cute. Ask me again when you know what it really means."

He tilts his head in confusion. He's certain he got the process right—he mimicked exactly what he saw: He gave Hyuna a flower and asked her to marry him. Isn't that all there is to it?

"But I am asking you," he says.

She lets out a short laugh, reaching out and ruffling his hair. He lets her despite the uncertainty in his chest. 

"I know you, Luka," Hyuna promises. "You don't know what you're talking about."

He frowns, but Hyuna never lies to him, so he simply nods his head in agreement. She stretches out her legs and he snatches the opportunity, going to lie down on her lap. A hand cards through his hair and his shoulders sag in relief. 

He likes Hyuna a lot. He wants to be with her forever.

When Luka wakes up, he's surprised to see that he's back in his own bedroom. 

He sits up, ignoring the throbbing headache he has and the wave of nausea that overtakes him when he tries to stand. Before he can even plant his feet on the ground properly, the door swings open, revealing Hyuna.

Her hair is tied up in a loose bun and there's a tray in her hands, with two plates of toast. Her eyebrows fly up in surprise when she sees him awake before she smiles. "Hi."

"Hi," he replies, feeling a little giddy. He's not sure if it's from the headache, the butterflies in his stomach, or both. He'll never get used to the privilege of seeing her first thing in the morning. 

"Bet your head hurts," she laughs, settling in on the bed next to him. She places the tray on the bedside table before grabbing some over-the-counter medication he keeps in the drawer. "Here."

He takes the offered pills with a sigh. "You're so composed even after a long night out. I really don't know how you do it."

She smiles, leaning over to drop her head on his shoulder. The weight is a comforting one. An assurance that she's there. "My teenage days trained me for this tolerance."

"Sure. Have you seen my glasses?"

She nods, reaching over and passing them to him. The moment he slips them on, his vision clears up. Her features sharpen and he smiles, leaning forward to kiss her nose. Sunlight peeks in through the gap in the curtains, bathing her in its golden glow, and she is—

"Beautiful," he mumbles. 

Her smile softens to something much gentler. "Aww, are you in love with me? That's so embarrassing."

He doesn't even have the heart to roll his eyes, because it is true. Luka is in love, has always been, and always will be. From the moment he laid his eyes on Hyuna, watching her punch a kid in high school for pushing him into a locker, something tugged at his soul. He knew, then, that he was being reeled in like a fish on a hook, and that feeling hasn't changed even after all these years. 

He wouldn't trade his saviour for anything else.

A blurry memory resurfaces then, coming to the forefront of his mind. Luka remembers the rings he has tucked in the drawer, the exact same drawer that Hyuna took the medication from, and wonders whether she's seen it. Wonders if she suspects a thing, not that he would mind if she knew. Actually…

"Hyuna, what do you think of marriage?" he blurts before he can stop himself.

She stares at him, her lips parting over a shocked noise. It's probably unfair of him to spring such a question on her first thing in the morning, but his head is still pounding and Luka's not really thinking properly, and the feeling just overwhelmed him at the moment.

And then Hyuna bursts out laughing, shoving him onto the bed and hugging his frame tightly.

His arms circle her back, squeezing her in return, even as he grumbles, "Why are you laughing at me?"

"Luka," she sighs, her voice fond. "You're so cute. You really don't remember?"

Luka's eyebrows knit together. "Huh?"

"Silly." Her nose nudges along the expanse of his throat, leaving behind a trail of kisses. He sinks under her touch, twirling her hair around a finger. "I would totally marry you. But can't I ask you that, too?"

A slight panic seizes his chest. "No. You can't ask. I have to ask you."

"And why's that?" she challenges, but she sounds terribly amused.

"Because…" He bites his tongue harshly. He can't tell her about the rings. "You just gotta let me ask, okay? Wait a little bit."

Her eyes are shining as she draws back, peering at him with an adoring smile. "Okay. I'll wait."

At that, he breathes a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"Again?" Hyuna asks as Luka stands up, his guardian having called his name. "What is it this time?"

"Pulse training," he answers, his voice monotonous as he recites what's been drilled into him the past week. "Then statistics. Then homework."

Hyuna's chewing on her bottom lip, a wrinkle between her eyebrows. "Why do you have so much training? More than any of us."

Luka shrugs. Heperu tells him it's necessary for him to succeed, and when he succeeds, Heperu makes him feel like he's floating on top of the world. He wants to do good. He wants to feel good. 

He glances at the game they're playing, a few rocks laid out on the grass. Hyuna still has her hand on one of the rocks.

"Um…" The hesitation is unfamiliar on his tongue, but he doesn't want to leave her yet. So he asks for the next best thing, "Wait a little bit for me?"

She looks up, surprised, but then she nods firmly. "Okay. I'll wait."

Just like that, a weight is lifted off Luka's shoulders. The edges of his mouth curl up as he dashes away to where Heperu is standing, ready to get this done and over with as quickly as he can.

On their seventh anniversary, Hyuna and Luka go out for a dinner date.

He books a classy restaurant, one that allows rooftop seating, giving them a view of the city's bustling nightlife. He's put on a nice suit and Hyuna chooses a lovely dark blue dress. There's glitter on her eyelids and an ever present smile on her face.

He's got this whole thing planned out, actually. He's ensured that no one else would be on the rooftop, pulling a few strings behind his back, not that Hyuna needs to know. As selfish as it may sound, he wants this moment to be theirs and theirs only.

Once they finish their food, Hyuna stands up, walking to the edge of the roof. The bottle of wine on the centre of the table is still unopened, but Luka leaves it in favour of following her. 

She places her hands on the railings, peering over the edge. The lights twinkle red and blue and green and her eyes sweep over the entire city, as if trying to watch over every single person, as much as she can. 

"The city's really beautiful at night, isn't it?" Hyuna asks with a small smile. She rests her chin on her folded arms. 

Luka glances up at the clear sky, spotting a few stars. He looks back at Hyuna, a hand reaching out to rest on her back, unable to help it. "It is," he replies, his gaze never straying.

In just a flash, Luka sees everything: Hyuna in this dress, in his arms, dancing and spinning. Hyuna by the laundry machine, yelling something silly and tossing a piece of clothing at his face. Hyuna with a comb held between her teeth as she does her hair in front of the mirror while he watches her from behind, enamoured. 

There is not a life where Luka can imagine they are separate. Whatever souls are made of, theirs are cut from the same cloth, and he believes they'll always find each other, again and again and again.

And so Luka reaches into his pocket, where a velvet box lies heavy, and gets down on one knee.

Hyuna turns to him at the sudden movement and a gasp leaves her throat. Oddly enough, she doesn't look extremely surprised, but it's no matter.

Luka has a million things he wants to say. He doesn't know where to begin—how to communicate this heavy emotion in his heart to her, to convey the magnitude of his love. It's something he barely knows how to shoulder on a normal day, and at this moment, his chest feels like it's about to burst. 

"Hyuna," he whispers, the syllables sweet and syrupy, spilling from his lips like a prayer. He opens the box, where a simple silver band with a small gemstone in the middle lies—her birthstone, specifically. 

Before he can continue, Hyuna drops to her own knees, grasping his hand. Her eyes are glittering as she beams, as radiant as the sun. "Yes."

He gapes. "I haven't asked yet!"

Hyuna bursts out laughing, her rough cackles filling the night. He purses his lips, but he can't stay mad at her, never can, really. Not when she's everything his heart hopes to hold and more. 

"Hyuna," he repeats, because Luka will be damned if he doesn't do this properly anyway. "Will you marry me?"

Before he can think of a way to lengthen this speech, Hyuna is wrapping him up in a hug, burying her face in his shoulder. "Yes," she repeats, a little muffled, but extremely sure. Like this is the only possible outcome for them. "Yes."

He stands up, bringing her with him, guiding her back to the table. There, he gets out the other box and they slide their rings on, cold metal kissing their skin. They reach for the wine bottle at the same time, ready to celebrate.

Luka drags his hands up, their fingers brushing against each other, and everything else is a blur. Hyuna is his centre, his North, and that's all that matters. The warm moonlight dances on their skin as he leans in close, pressing a kiss to her shoulder, and she shakes with merry laughter. He catches sight of her delight and thinks that he'd do anything to keep this before his own eyes flutter shut and their lips press together.

Hyuna, his heart sings, tilting his head up to kiss her better. He can't stop smiling—his cheeks are aching, but she's smiling twice as hard and he refuses to give this up. I love you. 

It repeats itself like a mantra in his head. He thinks he hears her say it too, and his eyes shine with unshed tears. 

I love you. I love you. I love you.

I love you, he thinks, tears streaming down his cheeks. He never knew what it meant, not until he met Hyuna's eyes again, not from her wanted poster but in real life. When his heart twisted and elation filled his veins, when not even a gun to his head could drag his lovesick gaze away.

Luka holds her close as her words echo in his head. There is blood on his face and on his hands and he—

Live with love, Hyuna pleads. Forgive yourself.

He sinks to his knees, bringing her limp body with him, and thinks, but I love you.

In another life, maybe she'd live. Maybe she'd love him. And maybe she'd forgive him for everything.

But in this life, their souls are torn apart, and Luka has to do all those things for her—he must live, love, and forgive himself. Again and again, endlessly, because everything begins from there.

I love you. I love you. I love you.