ꜱʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴏᴜᴛ _ ᴇɴʜʏᴘᴇɴ 8ᴛʜ ᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀ

= the aces (heeseung + lily) =

To be honest, Lily used to be scared of Heeseung. Maybe it's his personality that made him came off as a bit too strong or the way he carries himself but it install fear in Lily. Since she was a trainee, she would try to avoid Heeseung at all cost. If she did bump into him, she would bow at him out of respect and leave as soon as possible so they weren't able to be very close to each other. However, ever since they're appeared as a unit on I-Land, Lily had seen him in a new light.

Now, to Lily, Heeseung is someone she couldn't live without because he would be there for her when something bad happened and he's the only person who believed her fully if something bad were to happen.

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one

It was a day full of work. From vocal lesson to dance lesson to acting lesson and so much more. The day was packed from morning to night, leaving only a small gap in between for a short break and also lunch. Lily and Heeseung decided to go out to have lunch together at the restaurant that they used to go together before their debut. Though they had been busy the whole day, they seemed like they're still full of energy.

Instead of getting on the car to the restaurant, they just chose to walk. The weather is nice and it would be a shame to not bask in the fresh air. Lily walked ahead from Heeseung, her footsteps light and airy as she bounced happily. "Be careful, Youngwon. You'll fall if you don't walk properly." Lily spins around to face Heeseung with a smile that is hidden by her mask. Only her eyes are seen but that's enough for him to see the happiness painting the girl's face.

"It's been a while since we last had such freedom, oppa. I want to enjoy it to the fullest." She spins back around and Heeseung shook his head. Lily had always been one to enjoy the nature. Growing up, she barely had any opportunity to explore the world since her parents are strict with how she grow up so now that she's by herself, she wanted to enjoy the things that she wasn't able to before.

They both enter the restaurant and is greeted by the worker. "Reservation for two. Under Bae Youngwon." The worker nodded her head and lead them into a secluded VIP room so that they can have privacy. "If you're ready to order, just press that button and we'll come right up." Heeseung and Lily thanked the worker before sitting down and reading through the menu. "What should we eat?"

"What about this?" Heeseung pointed to the food on the menu. Lily hummed and nodded her head. "That'd be nice." She pressed the button and ordered the food to the waitress who came to take the order. Once the waitress left with their order, Lily took out the Polaroid camera that she had kept in her bag. "Oppa, smile~"

Heeseung was caught off guard when Lily suddenly took a picture of him. The girl giggled. "You should've seen the look on your face, oppa. It's priceless." He sighed and shook his head. The polaroid came out from the camera. With one swift move, Heeseung took it away so that he could see it first. Since the picture is still developing, he fan the polaroid gently. Lily pouted and turned the camera around so that the lenses are facing her face. She made a peace sign and clicked the button.

"I'll keep this all in my journal so I'll take another picture of you."

Click. Heeseung was baffled by how she managed to caught him off guard twice. Lily tucked a strand of stray hair behind her ear. She studies the pictures with a smile and now, it's Heeseung's turn to take a picture. By hearing the click, Lily looked up with a baffled expression. He pressed the button again and another picture of Lily is taken. A smile graced his lips as he breathe out, "so beautiful."

Lily pouted and went to keep the polaroids in her polaroid album. "I know I'm beautiful so thank you for acknowledging it." She flipped her long hair to the back, making Heeseung chuckled. His eyes closed and lips curved up into a wide grin. She too, beamed in happiness. "By the way, thank you."

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two

Being Lily's roommate isn't the easiest. Of course, she doesn't snore and make weird noises when she sleeps but every morning, Heeseung will find her sleeping on his bed with him. At first, he wonder if it was a bad sleeping habit that she had but when she was asked, she simply answered by saying that she wasn't able to sleep without hugging something or someone.

Heeseung is not keen with skinship. It's not he hates it but he isn't very comfortable with it. Whenever he found Lily next to him, he had the thought to put her back into her bed but seeing her sleep so peacefully, he changed his mind. By now, he's used to it. Maybe if one day she stopped doing so, he'd probably miss it.

Morning comes and when Heeseung opened his eyes, he sees Lily next to him. He smiled and lifts his hand up to cradle Lily's face in his palm. "What do I do with you, Lily? You made it difficult for me to live without you." He frowned at his own words since it sounded like a love confession. But he doesn't like Lily romantically. He just think of Lily as a little sister and surely, if something were to happen to his little sister, he'd go feral over it. Just as he thought there's no more space between the two of them, Lily scoots closer.

"Cold~"

That's what Heeseung heard from Lily's almost inaudible voice. He pursed his lips and gently pulled her closer to him so that he can embrace him. Also, he pulled the cover over the both of them so that it can warm Lily up. She audibly sigh in relief. Her head rested comfortably against Heeseung's chest. "Thank you~" Her voice is small and very slow in volume but Heeseung managed to catch the two words. "You're welcome, baby."

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three

"You can do it, Lily! Come on, you can do it!" Heeseung encouraged while Lily is panicking as she couldn't feel the floor with her feet. "Oppa! I can't feel the floor!" Niki and Jungwon watched as Lily flail around like a puppy in the pool with a frown. "I thought the pool was only 5 foot deep?" Niki questioned. Still, Heeseung rushingly get into the pool to wrap his arms around the panicking girl. As soon as she feel his presence, she wrapped her arms and legs around him like a koala while panting.

Her fingers are almost scratching Heeseung's skin if it wasn't the fact that he's wearing a swimsuit. "You're okay. I got you." He repeatedly told her that so that she could calm down. The thing is, Lily was the one who wanted to learn how to swim so Heeseung offered himself to teach her, not knowing she panicked easily when she can't feel the ground with her feet. It's understandable since she used to drown in the pool once she was a kid and it became a trauma to her.

Breathing deeply, she finally calm down. It was embarrassing how loud she was screaming earlier. Heeseung tapped her back to comfort her. "I'm so sorry for screaming earlier and I'm sorry for making you go through the trouble of teaching me even though I'm practically hopeless." Heeseung shook his head. "I said yes myself so why are you saying sorry? Besides, it was a trauma of yours. No trauma can be heal overnight, Lily. You need time."

Heeseung placed her down so that she's sitting at the edge of the pool, next to Jungwon. He's standing in between her legs, wiping the tears that she shed without her realising with his fingers. "And you're doing well. For someone who would avoid even going inside the pool, you're making a huge progress and I'm so proud of you."

"He's right, Lily. We're so proud of you!" Jay butts in. Their encouragement made Lily feel a bit better and she smiled as she thanked them.

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