Namjoon:

Namjoon begins cleaning up the kitchen after dinner, a permanent crease between his brows. He has glanced at his phone multiple times tonight, waiting for it to buzz to notify him that she has responded. But it doesn't.

Once the kitchen is clean, he checks it again. Nothing.

He heads upstairs to shower, collecting his sleeping clothes in preparation. He checks it again. Nothing.

He has his shower, trying to wash away his worries. Once he is out, he checks it again. Nothing.

He dries himself and pulls on his sleeping clothes before sitting on his bed. He checks it again. Nothing.

He opens the messaging app to see if she has read the messages, but she hasn't. He types another message, feeling his fears mounting.

JOONIE: Hana, are you okay?

"I should message her mother," Namjoon whispers to himself, opening another chat. He writes out a message and sends it off, which Mrs Bae responds to instantly.

NAMJOON: Good evening, Mrs Bae. Is Hana home?

MOM: Yeah, she went upstairs earlier, why?

NAMJOON: She hasn't responded to my messages, and she didn't meet me after uni.

MOM: Oh? She only got home just before dinner time. I thought she was with you.

NAMJOON: No, she didn't say where she was?

MOM: No, I never ask unless she wants to tell me. She looked troubled though.

NAMJOON: Thank you.

Namjoon places his phone on his bedside table, breathing a sigh of relief. So, she isn't hurt or in trouble. She is safe at home. Then what's wrong? Did something happen?

"I wish she'd answer her damn phone," Namjoon mutters.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

Namjoon hears the sound of someone knocking on the front door, muffled from up in his room. Confused, he heads down to see who could be visiting so late at night.

"Who is there?" Namjoon asks, leaning his ear against the door.

No response.

He peers through the peephole, finding a familiar figure standing on his doorstep. His red eyes flash up towards the peephole, grinning.

"Z?" Namjoon murmurs.

"We need to talk, Kim Namjoon," Z mumbles, folding his arms.

Namjoon grabs a piece of chalk, putting a cross through the protection sigil on the back of his door. He opens it up, stepping aside so Z can enter.

He leads him into the lounge room, gesturing for him to have a seat on the sofa. Z does as he is directed, and Namjoon sits beside him, frowning at Z's demeanour.

There were very few times Z was ever angry with Namjoon, including the moments he was no longer possessing him. At this moment, Namjoon can tell Z is angry about something.

"Why are you here?" Namjoon demands, his body turned towards Z. Z is leaning back on the sofa, his legs crossed and his arms folded. His eyes are narrowed at Namjoon as he takes a moment to respond.

"Hana summoned me," Z says firmly, "She is not happy with you,"

"What?" Namjoon snaps, "Why would she be angry with me?"

"How about we start with you taking off that pendant for this conversation," Z gestures to the necklace around his neck, "So I can ensure you are telling me the truth,"

"No, I don't trust you," Namjoon grumbles.

"All right," Z sighs as he shrugs.

"So, what's going on?" Namjoon asks.

"Hana overheard your conversation with Sumi," Z growls, "Are you cheating on Hana?"

"WHAT?" Namjoon stares at Z ludicrously, "How could you even think something like that, knowing me?"

"All she heard was Sumi tell you to not be a pervert, call you oppa lovingly, and you laughing and talking together," Z summarises, "What did you say to her?"

"Sumi made an assumption," Aggressively, Namjoon pulls the necklace from his neck, "Look! Look at my memories! Read me!"

Z leans forward, taking a moment to allow the memory to download in his mind. After a minute or so, Z nods to himself, leaning back onto the sofa.

"I see what has happened now," Z sighs, "You need to call her, she is spiralling,"

Z stands up from the sofa, moving towards the front door.

"Wait!" Namjoon follows him, reaching the door as Z steps outside, "You're just going to leave?"

"Well, yeah," Z cocks his eyebrow at Namjoon, "I promised you that I would only visit to help and protect Hana,"

Namjoon nods, feeling reassured. He has a point, and he has done his duty.

"Thank you, Z," Namjoon smiles, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. This god has willingly returned to earth to help them deal with a very minor lover quarrel, a misunderstanding. It's embarrassing.

"No problem," Z turns towards Namjoon, sauntering towards him. Once he is standing directly in front of him, glaring down at him, he sneers, "But if she calls me again because of you, it'll be the last thing you ever do, understood?"

"Understood," Namjoon smirks, "thanks again,"

Z nods, leaving Namjoon standing in his apartment. He closes the door, looking down at his phone in frustration.

How can he call her if she is ignoring him?

He goes to her contact and calls her, listening to the ringing. She doesn't answer. He opens the messaging app, sending her a quick message.

JOONIE: Hana, Z visited me. I know what's going on now. Let me explain. Please call me.

He waits for a moment, hoping she will open the message at least. She reads it, but she doesn't respond. After waiting 10 minutes, he gives up.

I'll approach her in the morning. Namjoon groans, heading up to his room. He flops onto his bed, wishing more than ever that she was right here, right next to him, cuddling in his arms.

. . . . .

Hana:

I tap my foot impatiently, staring at my bedroom window. I have been sitting on my bed for the past 30 minutes. Surely Z has already spoken to him, right? Did he hurt him? Did Namjoon let him in? What are they doing?

I get up and start pacing backwards and forwards from my desk to my bedroom door. He'll be here soon, right?

My phone starts vibrating. I glance at it to find Namjoon calling me. I stare at the screen, frozen in place. Should I answer it?

Before I can, it rings out. I sigh with relief, only for it to buzz again. I look at it and see Namjoon has texted again. Quickly, I pick it up and open it.

JOONIE: Hana, Z visited me. I know what's going on now. Let me explain. Please call me.

"Shit," I mutter, "Z where are you?"

I turn to continue pacing, only to run into someone's chest.

"WHAT THE-" I gasp, jumping back in fear. Z is standing in front of me, chuckling at my reaction.

"Sorry," He says, moving to sit down on my office chair again, "So, I spoke to Namjoon,"

"Yeah, I know," I hold up my phone as I move towards my bed, sighing as I sit down, "Namjoon texted,"

"Oh?" Z leans forward to read it quickly, "Ah, yes. I did tell him to call you,"

"What did he say?" I ask.

"Well, it's all a misunderstanding," Z says simply, "Talk to Namjoon tomorrow,"

"That's it?" I stand up as he stands, ready to dematerialise again, "You're not going to tell me?"

Z smiles, staring at me with gentle eyes, something I didn't realise he was capable of. He takes a step forward, his hand reaching for me. I shuffle to the side, eyeing him warily. His hand drops to his side as he sighs.

"Don't worry, Hana," Z chuckles, "I'm going to leave this for Namjoon to explain. Tomorrow, when he explains himself, believe him, okay?"

I pout, searching Z's eyes for any sign of the truth or an explanation. He doesn't give anything away. But he is omniscient, right? He would have made Namjoon take off that necklace so he could confirm the truth. I should trust him.

I should trust Namjoon.

I frown at this sudden thought before pushing it aside for the moment. I can overanalyse my trust issues later.

I nod at Z, sitting back down on my bed as he turns towards the window again.

"Goodnight, Hana," Z mutters. He slowly seeps away before me, his skin bubbling and wafting away as his entire matter goes from a solid to a gas – a smoke. He slides through the crack of my window, flying off with the wind.

. . . . . 

The next morning, once I am dressed and ready for university, I peek out one of the upstairs windows. Namjoon is standing out the front of my house, pacing from side to side. Occasionally, he glances towards the house. He must be nervous about seeing me.

What do I do?

Is he going to be mad at me? I should have just interrupted their conversation. Doing that would have told me everything I needed to know about the situation. Why did I run?

I move away from the window and head downstairs. My Mom is bustling around, getting ready for the day.

"Good morning," She beams, giving me a quick hug, "Did you already eat?"

"Yeah," I reply, sighing. She stops what she is doing, putting her hands on her hips and tilting her head to the side. Her eyebrow is raised, giving me a stern motherly look.

"What did you and Namjoon fight about?" She asks. I start blubbering, trying to find an explanation. How could she possibly know I am fighting with Namjoon?

"H-How did you know?" I stammer.

"Because I know everything," She simpers. I stare at her for a moment, until she starts giggling, "I'm kidding, Namjoon texted me last night,"

I groan in annoyance. He actually texted my mother after I ignored him. Seriously?

"You need to talk to him, Hana," She says seriously, "I don't know what happened, but you need to talk it out with him. He will pace out there forever,"

I frown at her, biting my lip as the anxiety builds.

"I'm scared he's going to be angry at me..." I mumble, "I misunderstood..."

"He will forgive you," My mother shrugs, "And if he is in the wrong he will beg you for forgiveness,"

"How do you know?"

"Because he is that sort of person, Hana," Mom smiles, "It's not a secret that he's head over heels for you. He's been waiting out there for an hour, bub,"

I nod a little, taking in her words. He's been waiting out there for me for an hour?

Just go to him.

I take a big deep breath in as I pick up my laptop bag, slide it onto my shoulder, and head for the door. Just before I turn the doorknob, I look back at my mom.

"Thank you," I smile as I swing it open.

"Have a good day, bub!" She calls out, "Text me if you won't be home for dinner,"

I grin at her, closing the door behind me.

Let's do this.

I walk towards Namjoon quickly, keeping my expression blank as I get closer. He watches me move towards him warily, his hands deep in his pockets. Once I am in front of him, he gulps.

"G-Good morning," He mumbles. I give him a small smile.

"Good morning," I look down at my feet, my anxiety catching up with me, "Z visited you last night?"

"Yeah," Namjoon replies as we start walking towards the train station, "He did,"

"He told me it was a misunderstanding," I explain, "What happened?"

Namjoon proceeds to explain what happened during the conversation with Sumi and what he said to get her to call him a pervert. I chuckle at that, realising that the perverted thing he had mentioned involved me, even though it wasn't perverted at all.

Once we are on the train with Taehyung, we pause the conversation. I still keep my distance, wanting to solve the problem before anything.

Namjoon seems upset at this, but he doesn't push it and he pretends everything is okay in front of Taehyung.

Once we are at the school, however, that changes. Suddenly, Namjoon clasps my hand and begins leading me away from the classroom.

"Hey! Where are you guys going?" Taehyung asks.

"I'll see you in the next class, Tae," Namjoon calls back, pulling me out of the building. I wave at Taehyung with my other hand, letting Namjoon lead me away.

Once we are inside a random building, he leads me to an abandoned classroom. Luckily, it is empty. He closes the door behind us and guides me to a chair in the room, gently gesturing for me to sit down. I do as I am told as he pulls up another chair, sitting in front of me.

He leans forward, resting his face on his hands with his elbows resting on his legs. He stares at me, waiting for me to speak. I'd be lying if I said the desperation and intensity in his eyes aren't hot. I blush, trying to stop that train of thought. He chuckles at my expression, leaning back in the chair.

"All right," Namjoon sighs, "Let's finish this conversation,"

"Well... I know now that I misunderstood," I shrug, "What else is there to talk about?"

"I don't want this to happen again," Namjoon says quietly, "I was worried that you were hurt, and then I was worried you were going to... break up with me,"

"Huh? Why would I break up with you?" I frown.

"I don't know... you weren't talking to me and the way Z explained how you were feeling..." His expression twitches slightly, the fear more prevalent on his face, "All I knew is that you thought I was cheating on you, and you were spiralling, and you weren't answering my calls,"

"Oh... I'm sorry," I pout, "I didn't realise..."

"You didn't realise that you affect me so much?" He snaps.

I don't respond, watching his face carefully. He looks tired, extremely tired, as if he was up all night. His jaw is clenching and unclenching as if he is trying to force emotions away, deep down inside of him. Did this misunderstanding hurt him this much?

Trust issues... why do I have trust issues?

I never used to have trust issues. But, then again, before I met Namjoon, I had a normal life. There weren't gods, cults, or people out to kill me. My parents were my real parents, and my friends had normal lives. Once I met him, it all came crashing down. So many lies, so many secrets. Did these things give me trust issues?

I guess lies in the face of intense trauma, like watching someone die in front of you, knowing you are next, can have a huge effect on your psyche, huh?

So how do I fix this?

How do we fix this?

"I don't think you realise how much everything has affected me, Namjoon," I say firmly, "After everything that happened... I have so much anxiety about everything. I used to be so blunt and forward, but now I am scared of any truth, wondering if the next thing I will be told will be my undoing. I watched a god break and destroy my friend, only to heal him again. I watch those cultists kill that woman. I learnt about gods and magic. During all this, there were secrets and lies everywhere. I couldn't trust my own friends, and you... rejecting me, then confessing to me... and now we are dating and it's all... it's all so much to handle," I take a big deep breath before continuing, "I don't want this to happen again... I want to learn to trust again. I need to reevaluate my... my entire reality. Can we just... find a way to figure this out?"

Namjoon nods along, listening to me intently. He still looks like he's on the verge of tears, but he's not angry anymore.

"I understand," He whispers, "Let's start with this..."

He pulls a small velvet box out of his pocket before passing it to me.

Oh no... god no... this better not be a proposal.

I start to panic, my hands trembling as I hold the box. I want to open it, but I'm frozen in this moment. He looks at my trembling hands for a moment, before reaching out and stabilising me. One of his hands supports mine, while the other opens the box. There are two band rings inside, one smaller than the other. They have small crystals decorating them, beautifully sparkling in the dim light of the classroom.

I look up at him. He is smiling gently as he grabs the smaller, silver one, holding it out for me. That's when I realise there is something written on them. I grab it, shakily trying to read it.

Promise?

I frown, looking back at him as he grabs out the other one. On the inside silver lining, there is another engraving. I read it.

Promise.

"Promise rings?" I ask hesitantly. He nods, placing the larger ring back in the box. He takes the box back, sliding it into his pocket. He is still holding the smaller ring between his fingers. He places it in the palm of my hand, enclosing it with his as he grasps my hands. He pulls my hands towards him, kissing my fingers.

"I don't have any expectations," He mutters gruffly, holding our hands between us, "But this way you will understand how I feel, and other people will see the ring and back away,"

"Namjoon... it's been two weeks..." I mumble as he opens his hand, revealing the ring on my palm. He is staring at it, his eyes glistening.

"Technically, we have known each other for almost 3 months," Namjoon smirks, "I don't care for any expected timelines. Plus, I'm not tying you down with these. I want you to understand how I see us, and what I want. Whether it's 10 years in the future or next week. I don't care. I don't plan on leaving anytime soon and I want you to understand that,"

I stare at him, my heart warming as he looks up at me. He is smiling, gesturing down to the ring. I nod, allowing him to slide it onto my finger.

"I'm not going anywhere either," I smile.

He quickly pulls me into his chest, firmly holding me in place. I can hear his heart racing in his chest, his arms tightening around me.

Nothing is better than seeing loving actions. Not loving words. Namjoon could say he loves me, but that means nothing to me. Actions speak louder than words, and this simple action soothes me, reminding me of the intensity of his love. I wish I could put into words how I feel, so I can show him I care just as much, if not more. I hope my acceptance and this hug is enough.

I will spend the rest of my life showing this man the true meaning of love. 

(A/N) 🫰🫰🫰 

Ah... so cute... ahh my heart