Emily came with Minho to practice. And as she promised, she wore his big cozy hoodie, her hair pulled up into a messy bun at the top of her head. They pulled into the parking lot and Emily groaned. Minho glanced at her.

"Wanna go home? I can get a ride home from someone else."

"No. I came to watch you. I hate that I'm so scared of her. I can knock someone out in the ring, but she looks at me and I'm right back to the 12 year old girl cowering in the corner as Ava screams and smashes things around me while she laughs."

"Oh Emily...that's awful." His eyes looked pained. He reached a hand out cupping her cheek, she closed her eyes for a second, leaning into his warmth.

"Those over ratted cheerleaders are practicing on the other field, I'll be fine." She said with more confidence then she felt.

"I'll leave the keys with you, if you gotta go that's fine."

"I don't deserve you."

"No! Don't say that!" He said sharply. "No negative talk! You deserve everything and more!"

Emily smiled again at him, "Come on Thunder Cat, I got some heckling to do. If I get bored...I'll do some laps." She teased.

He chuckled and they hopped out of the truck, and walked to the field hand in hand. He kissed her good bye and plunked down on the grass, wrapping her hands around her coffee. She was just settling down, with her textbook when her phone buzzed.

Sonya:
Girl. Where you at?

Football field. I promised I'd heckle Min. Why?

Oh fun! I'm coming to you. I'll bug Gally. :)

You bringing Chucky and Noodles?

Yeah. Be there in 10. Need a coffee?

Nah, Min and I stopped for one before coming.

Emily, Sonya and Newt hung out, watching the practice, taking turns throwing a stick for Chuck. She hadn't hung out with Newt and Sonya in a long time.

"So, Noodles...How's it going with Thomas?"

Newt's face went slightly pink, but a small smile appeared. His eyes were watching Thomas run down the field and catching the ball.

"Good. Really good."

"Uhh huh...anything else?" Emily teased.

"What do you bloody want to know?"

Emily threw her hands up, and rolled her eyes. "I get juicer information from Min, who gets it from your boy."

"Excuse me?" Newt blanched.

Sonya and Emily both rolled on the ground in giggles. Newt went white to pink and then back to pink. Every time Sonya or Emily made eye contact they burst into a new fit of giggles. Newt got more disgruntled the longer the girls giggled.

"Your Tommy boy likes to talk. Know how many times he calls Min and he turns it to speaker phone and we both talk to him about you?" Emily raised an eyebrow.

"Oh shuck." He scrambled to his feet, "Nope. This isn't happening." He stomped away.

Sonya raised an eyebrow at her. Emily shook her head.

"Nope, not true at all. But it's fun to teas him. It only happened once. After a date... Thomas was a little...twitterpated and he kept going on and on. Minho put it on speaker and we laid on the bed listening to him gush about Newt. It was super cute."

Sonya giggled again. Emily smiled, watching Newt run a lap around the field. Chuck woofed and came and lay down in Emily's lap. The girls talked and watched the boys. Emily knew Minho was good, but watching him, it was hard to take her eyes off him. He was a born leader, he was quick on his feet and learning the different plays and having to think quick on his feet. Emily didn't fully understand all the rules, but listening to Minho and his parents talk about it constantly, she was getting the hang of it.

It took her a moment to realize that Sonya had a asked her a question, and she was looking at her in amusement.

"Huh? What?" Emily asked.

"I asked, what you were planning on doing for your birthday?"

Emily shrugged.

"No plans?"

Emily shook her head, "I haven't done anything for my birthday since dad passed. Minho said he was going to do something, but I don't like big events. So I don't know."

~•~

Minho dragged Emily to the mall. Emily had never liked going, the few times she had gone when she lived with Ava and Teresa. She never had money for shopping, so she just never went. But Minho dragged her there after they got home from practice and had showered and changed.

He held up a black dress, with an eyebrow raised, "What about this one?"

Emily shrugged. He put it back, and grabbed a different one, holding it up. Again Emily shrugged. Emily's anxiety was starting to creep in.

"Which one do you like Babe?"

"I don't know, I never got to pick anything before..."

"Well, then pick a few and try them on! This is all for your birthday!"

With a big grin he grabbed a few, Emily hesitantly picked a few. He then grabbed her hand and dragged her to the changing room. She pulled the first dress on. It was a bright red one, and way to clingy.

"Em? How's it going?"

"Umm..I don't think so."

"How come?"

"It's...too clingy." She slowly opened the door, her arms crossed tight over her chest, her cheeks pink, her head down. She glanced up quick, she saw his eyes go wide, but then he frowned.

"Nope. You don't like it. Next one."

Emily pulled on the next one. Her stomach was starting to twist. She slowly opened the door again, she kept fidgeting and pulling on the hemline. Minho shook his head. With every dress Emily tried on she felt more uncomfortable. Emily's chest was tight and her hands were shaking. Minho frowned when she opened the door again, he tilted his head. Then his eyes lit up.

"Hold on. Wait here."

~•~

Minho dashed off back into the front of the store, finding the sales lady he asked for the dress in the front window.

"Size?"

"Small."

"You're pretty confident, most guys have no clue what their girlfriends size is."

"Well good thing I'm not most guys." He smirked, "oh and the burgundy one."

The lady chuckled and pulled the dress from the rack. Minho thanked her and dashed back to the change room with a big goofy grin. He knew this one was going to be it.

"Last one. Promise."

He kissed her forehead and gently pushed her back into the change room and closed the door. He waited patiently. All the dresses she tried on fit her perfectly, she could rock all of them, but her body launguage said otherwise. She had a drop dead killer body, but he knew her anxiety wouldn't let her see it, her poor self esteem and constant mental abuse showed she wasn't comfortable in her own skin. And his heart hurt for her. He wanted to show her how beautiful she was. He wasn't sure how the dresses were any different then the sports bras and short shorts she wore in the gym, but it wasn't something he needed to understand. He just needed to be there for her.

This was taking a lot longer than the other ones. He stepped closer to the door. He knew she was reaching her limit. He heard a quiet cry. Frowning he leaned closer. He could hear her gasping and a quiet cry.

Worried, he knocked on the door.

"Emmy?"

There was a sharp intake of breath behind the door. But there was no other answer.

"Emily? Everything okay?"

Again there was no answer. But he could hear her trying to keep herself quiet. He knew she was have an attack, but she was in the changing room. Would he make it worse if he went in..?

He knocked again, "Em, I'm going to open the door, okay?"

He hesitated and slowly opened the door. Emily was sitting on the chair in the changing room, one arm wrapped around herself, the other covering her mouth. She was hunched forward with her eyes clamped shut.

He immediately dropped to his knees in front of her, his heart shattering into millions of pieces. Without saying anything he pulled her into a hug, pressing her head into his shoulder. He started humming and gently rocking her. He held her tightly, wanting to make her all better, wanting to make her feel whole and loved and cared for. He didn't care how long it took. He just held her close. He felt her body shaking and shivering. And each of her shallow wild gasps.

Her hyperventilating slowed down, it took a while, but she was able to breath normally again, and that's when the tears came. She turned her face and pressed it into his shoulder.

"Shhh. It's okay baby, I'm here. I'm right here. You're safe."

He didn't rush her, he held her tightly while her body went through its panic. Once she was under control she sat up, her head lowered, the remnants of tears still sliding down her cheeks. Minho shifted closer, and gently wiped the tears with his thumbs and then kissed each cheek.

"Tell me." He said quietly.

"Why?" she whispered.

"Why?" He repeated, his eyebrows pulling together, "Why what?"

"Just...everything...I don't know...It's all so much. Why did you pick me? It's too much! Have you seen the price? Minho it's too much!" She was shacking her head.

Minho smiled, finally understanding what was going on.

"Emily...if shopping is too much we can go home. But...it's not too much. I want to. I want to dote on my beautiful girlfriend. I want to spoil you for your birthday! You deserve the moon and the stars, and until I can figure out how to get those, this is what I can do. I want to dress you up and take you out, show you off, make all those other shanks jealous, 'cause my girl is a shucken smoke show and also cute as a button!"

He paused, taking her ching gently, he raised her head so she had to look at him. Her big brown eyes were still glassy with tears, but they made them sparkle. The unshed tears clung to her long eyelashes.

"And my heart picked you. I saw you and you captivated me. You're kind and thoughtful, your shy but a total badass. You're sharp as a whip but soft and gentle. Serious and goofy. I want to get to know you even more. I want to gush about you. I want to spoil you. Your my girl and you deserve it."

"Minho..." She sniffed.

"Is it the dress? 'Cause we can keep looking..."

She shook her head, "No. It's just a lot of money." She said quietly.

"It's your birthday. And I want to! Please let me spoil my girl."

She blinked a few more tears away. He fingers twisted in her lap.

"What... how...I don't have this kind of money for your birthday." She whispered, dropping her head.

Minho sat back just a bit, so he had to look up at her. He lifted both his hands and held her face.

"It's not a competition. It's not about pay back or being even. Em, you haven't had someone do this for you. Every girl needs a new outfit for her birthday. And I wanna be that someone who buys it for you. Let me spoil you. Please?"

Emily flicked her eyes to his. He could see the anxiety and insecurity. But he could see the longing. He smiled gently at her. Taking her cold shaking hands in his.

"Can I see the dress?"

He slowly stood up and pulled her to stand up. He held her hands out, so he could see the dress.

"Come see in the mirror." He gently tugged her out of the changing room and over to the big mirror. He pulled her in front of him, his hands on her shoulders. He beamed down at her, through the mirror. His stomach was all over the place, his heart was racing and his mouth went dry.

"I think you look beautiful. This is my favorite." He whispered into her hair, "but what do you think?"

She looked back at herself in the mirror. Her eyes flicked all over the place.

"How are we doing back here?" The sales lady came back to check on them. She smiled wildly at them, then nodded in approval to Minho, "you were right. The size and colour are perfect on her. Brings out her eyes and the honey coloured highlights"

Emily's eyes flicked up to him, in surprise. He smirked at her.

"Please, babe. I know my girl."

A small smile formed on her face, and a blush appeared. The sales lady left and Emily turned to face him. He wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Should I call Sonya? Would it be easier to shop with a girlfriend?"

A small smile formed on her face, but it was a different one, a small shy cheeky one. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Maybe it'll be a surprise then?"

"You got it babe!" He smirked and gave her a quick kiss. "Go change and I'll give her a call."

He watched her close the door, his stomach was so full of nervous excited energy. The dress was stunning on her, it hugged her curves without exposing anything, and he saw the change in the way she held herself.

He pulled his phone out, and walked out of ear shot.

"Hey, Sonya?"

"Hey slugger. What up?"

"You busy right now?"

"Just at home, Gally and Tommy are here.. What's up?"

"Would you be able to meet us at the mall? Em needs some help picking out some stuff..."

"Oh, the whole boyfriend shopping ain't working, you tapping out already?"

"Haha. No. She got a bit upset just now. She ain't used to anyone doing anything for her. She needs a girlfriend right now. Would you wanna come shop with her?"

"Bloody hell yes! I love shopping!"

"Great! It's all for her birthday tomorrow."

"On it! My shoes are already on! Be there in 15!"

"Thank you!"

He hung up as Emily emerged, nervously holding the dress. He pulled her close, kissed her temple.

"Sonya is on her way. I'll finish here and we'll go grab coffee."

They sat at the coffee place, as Sonya and the guys came in behind her. She was smirking. She clapped her hands and rubbed them together.

"Who's ready to birthday shop?!"

Emily looked down shyly. Minho mouthed a thank you. Sonya nodded and winked.

"I got you slugger." She grinned, grabbing Emily's hand and pulled her up.

"Go pee, we got some power shopping to do!" She gave Emily a shiver in the back, who just rolled her eyes.

Minho got up, and quickly grabbed Sonya's arm.

"Hey, I know you know how to shop...here," he slipped her his card, "make her feel special. Whatever it takes."

"Don't worry my man, your girl is in safe hands."