Full of excitement, I pressed the button for the third floor in the elevator - the surgical department.

When I arrived, I looked around, searching for him, but I couldn't spot him anywhere. Instead, I saw another familiar face.

"Nakamura. Wait!" I called after him. He stopped and turned around to face me.

"Ah, it's you! Fancy seeing you here" he said with an amused grin.

"Yeah, I didn't think you'd apply to be a junior doctor here too. Don't tell me you two are friends?" I said with a teasing smile.

"Pure coincidence that we both ended up here. But you being here... that's probably no coincidence, is it?"

I grinned sheepishly.

"Not quite. Do you happen to know where I can find him?" I asked in a sweet voice.

"I think he's currently in a consultation with a patient. You'll have to be patient for a few minutes."

"Never mind. I can wait."

"Oh yes," he mocked. "You're good at that. But it's nice that you two finally made it. At least I don't have to listen to your whining anymore. And he's actually become a little less cynical since then."

"I think it's great too," I sighed dreamily, closing my eyes in bliss.

"Okay, I think it's time to say goodbye before I'm going to slip on your slobber."

I crossed my arms indignantly.

"And that wasn't cynical?" I pouted.

He shrugged his shoulders.

"I learnt from the master," he said and turned away with a wave. "See you around."

Shortly after, he disappeared around the corner.

Somewhat uncertain, I stood in the hallway, watching nurses, doctors, and patients pass by.

I couldn't help but notice that some of the female staff were incredibly attractive.

Was this a hospital or a modeling agency?

Since Chishiya was known to be quite popular with women, it was often hard for me not to feel jealous, especially because he spent so much time at work.

Suddenly, I saw him emerge from one of the rooms, studying a clipboard with a pensive look. Without thinking twice, I ran towards him. Chishiya looked up, mildly surprised, just as I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Chishiii!" I squealed and looked up at him beaming. "Guess who is now the proud owner of a driver's license!"

The corners of his mouth tugged into an amused smile.

"No idea. Give me a hint."

"Me, of course! I passed the test!" I cheered, reaching into my bag to proudly shove my license into his face.

"Really? Hmm..." He took the document from me, inspecting it with a skeptical expression, as if checking its authenticity. Then he sighed quietly. "This will surely lead to an increase in traffic accidents, which in turn means more work for me. I'm not sure how I feel about this."

I pushed my lower lip out defiantly.

"Just say I did a good job."

He sighed softly and handed my licence back to me as I continued to look up at him sulkily.

Then he placed his hand on my head and smiled, almost a little proudly.

"Well done, Tsuki."

I giggled, flattered.

"Oh, you really think so? I'm about to blush."

He shook his head in amusement.

"Well, as an experienced driver now, you surely won't have any trouble driving us home once I'm done here."

"Uh, erm well....the test was really tough. I'm completely exhausted."

I put my hand on my forehead somewhat theatrically. Chishiya raised an eyebrow.

"Sure. Then you'd better recover from the strain first." The irony in his voice did not escape me. "Just give me a few more minutes. Then we can head home together," he added a little more gently and then walked past me.

Home. Together. We.

Those words still sounded unfamiliar to me, but I loved how naturally Chishiya said them. Almost as if we were a family.

I dropped onto the cushioned bench in the corridor and waited patiently for him to return.

When he stood in front of me again, he was wearing his hair down again and had swapped his scrubs for everyday clothes.

"Ready?" he asked.

I nodded eagerly and stood up. Together, we walked toward the elevator.

"So how did you manage to pass? Did you bribe the examiner?"

I pursed my lips in protest.

"What was I supposed to bribe him with?"

"Hmm... then he probably just felt sorry for you."

"So you don't trust me to pass because I did everything right?"

"I have to admit that it's hard to believe after seeing you drive."

"That was ages ago. I've gotten a lot better," I insisted.

"Then prove it to me," he replied with a playful smile as we entered the elevator.

"I will, but not necessarily today."

"Are you scared?" he teased, leaning casually against the wall of the lift.

"I just don't want you yelling at me again like last time," I muttered quietly, staring at my hands.

He chuckled softly.

"If you drive properly, there's no reason for me yelling at you. And since you passed the test, that shouldn't be a problem, right?"

I gave him a disgruntled look and pressed my lips tightly together.

"Would I even be allowed to use your car?" I asked hesitantly as the elevator arrived in the underground parking lot.

"As long as I'm with you, you're welcome to," he replied. "Maybe someday I'll let you drive alone, once I'm convinced you're safe enough not to endanger other people."

I hung my head a little disappointed.

"Alright..."

We walked through the dimly lit parking garage toward Chishiya's car.

He tossed his bag onto the back seat and then opened the driver's side door.

"Are you sure you don't want to drive after all?" he asked with a challenging grin.

"I'd rather start with a shorter trip," I giggled, embarrassed. "Like... from our place to my work."

Chishiya looked at me like I had completely lost my mind.

"That's less than a ten-minute walk. It's not even worth starting the engine."

"Then... grocery shopping?" I mumbled.

"Fine. I'll hold you to that."

We got into the car and Chishiya inserted the key into the ignition to start the engine, while I kept happily admiring my driver's license.

"Doesn't it look good?" I gushed, holding it up to the light as we took the exit from the underground car park.

"Yeah, it would probably look nice in a golden frame on our wall," Chishiya said sarcastically.

"Right. Maybe over the bed?"

"You might as well burn it if you're not going to use it," he quipped.

"No way! I need a reminder of my achievement; otherwise, all that effort would've been in vain."

"If you're not going to use it for its intended purpose, you might as well have saved yourself the money."

I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Nobody likes a know-it-all."

"Except you," he shot back with a triumphant look.

"You're lucky," I pouted, "otherwise you'd be sitting alone here in the car."

"I could live with that."

I gave him a wounded look.

"You don't mean that," I whimpered in an exaggeratedly pitiful voice. He just grinned silently to himself. "Do you?" I pressed when he didn't answer.

"Of course not, Tsuki," he said more seriously. "After everything that's happened, do you really still think I don't care about you?"

I smiled awkwardly.

"Sometimes it's just hard to read you."

"Why else would I share my home with a crazy stalker?"

"Because you secretly enjoy being stalked by me?"

"Exactly," he said calmly.

"Well, I'm glad you stopped running away from me. It was exhausting always chasing after you."

Chishiya parked the car but didn't move after turning off the engine.

I looked at him questioningly.

"You didn't always have it easy with me. And yet you never left my side. Why?" he asked quietly, without looking at me.

I frowned slightly but smiled.

"You already know why, Chishiya. Because I love you."

"But why? Honestly, I was never exactly lovable. I said plenty of awful things that would've made others run away. It's hard for me to understand... this love you feel for me."

"It's not a decision my mind made," I said softly. "It's something my heart decided. Maybe that's why it doesn't make sense to you. But there's one thing I'm sure of: You're not a bad person-just someone who's had bad things happen to him."

He looked at me for a long moment, then slowly turned toward me.

"I'm afraid that's mainly your fault, Tsuki. You made me into the person I always wanted to be. I suppose I owe you for that," he said with a small sigh. "And I never thought I'd ever say something so sentimental," he added, shaking his head.

I grinned with amusement.

"I think it's really sweet of you."

I lifted my hand and tentatively stroked the front strand of his hair back a little.

"Now I want a kiss," I said with an innocent voice, biting my lip in an exaggeratedly seductive way.

To my surprise, he actually leaned in toward me with a small smile and kissed me, deliberately slow and tenderly. My hands slid eagerly into the back of his neck to pull him closer.

I felt like I was about to burst from sheer happiness.

It was one of those rare, precious moments you wanted to preserve in your memory forever - a perfect happy ending for my webtoon. But the final and most important game still lies ahead:

Life.

Thank you very much for reading this story and if you haven't done so yet, I would be very happy about your votes and/or comments 😊

If you still haven't had enough of Chishiya and Tsuki, I recommend my current FF "The Cheshire Cat's Hearts", which also stars Tsuki and Chishiya.