"Hyung," Soobin pouted, a small whine dancing on the edge of his lips, "hyung,"

Groggily, Yeonjun opened his eyes, staring up at Soobin with a confused expression. He rubbed his eyes wearily, lips forming immediately into a pout. He looked so cute and so exhausted at the same time, that the pool of guilt in Soobin's stomach for waking his hyung up was starting to freeze, threatening to pull him under. Still, he clutched into the pillow in his ends, playing with the fraying hem. (Yeonjun had offered to replace it quite a few times for him, but Soobin always refused. Somehow, he liked the old pillowcase, as worn as it was, clumsily embroidered by the members, though mostly Yeonjun.)

"What is it?" The words slurred under Yeonjun's breath, somehow deeper than his voice ever was in the day. Soobin would be lying if he said Yeonjun's voice didn't affect him. He felt a familiar heady feeling rush to his head, a small smile playing on his lips. The older boy's eyes had fluttered shut again, but his head was somehow still raised off his pillow. Soobin felt his heart beat faster, thumping hard against his chest. Half of his mind knew it was beating steadily, but there was an undercurrent to them that was erratic, almost nonsensical. Opening his mouth to answer, he felt his lungs collapse slightly, knocking the air out of him. It was dumb, he knew. It wasn't like they'd never done this before- it's just that he'd never asked before.

"Soobin?" Yeonjun's soft voice knocked Soobin out of his reverie, and his eyes snapped back to the boy in the bed, who was half blinking, half staring at him, his eyes filled with so much affection that Soobin wanted to hug him right there and then. "Cuddle me?"

Almost instantly, a fond smile bloomed across Yeonjun's face. " Anything for you, Soobin-ah," he answered, scooting over to make space for him on the bed. Quietly, Soobin settled down, plopping down onto the bed. The familiar scent of lemons and a hint of sandalwood filled his senses, somehow calming his heart even more. Wordlessly, the older boy pulled him closer, tugging him towards him. An arm snaked its way around Soobin's waist, the other carelessly thrown over his torso, draping around the pillow he was hugging. Smiling to himself, Soobin hummed contentedly.

"Better?"

"Mm hmm," Soobin answered, the odd feeling in his stomach shifting away, the cold replaced by a wave of warmth, like a bowl of hot soup on a cold winter day, like the feeling of sunlight on your face after a long day of being cooped up at work. Like the feeling of wearing your favourite sweater, sitting next to the fireplace and reading, letting the flames flicker and crackle with every turn of the page, like waiting for someone to come home. Only to hear familiar footsteps, a small smile as an accessory, catching a glimpse of fond eyes before being ambushed in a hug, fingers drifting just below your shirt, caressing the small sliver of exposed skin. He felt safe, like he would make it out of anything as long as he had Yeonjun next to him, holding him.

The unnamed and unspoken fears in Soobin's stomach ebbed away slowly as he felt his breathing slow down, his heart pounding under the confines of his ribcage, pressed against the sliver of metal he kept close to his heart.

It was in the shape of Solomon's knot, shyly handed to him by the man lying next to him. He still remembered the hesitance in his gaze as he handed the necklace over, fidgeting slightly with the hem of the sweater he'd worn then.

"Happy birthday, Soobin-ah," Yeonjun had whispered, "I hope your days will be filled with laughter, joy and love. I wanted to get you something grand, but...there wasn't anything I thought you'd like, so I picked this out for you," Soobin stared down at the pendant, fingers tracing over the intricate design, the ridges of overlapping wire scratching softly against his skin. The older boy seemed to notice that, holding his breath. "I hope you like it, Soobinie- "

"I love it!" A big, wide smile broke out on Soobin's face. "Thank you, hyungie. Help me wear it, please?"

Hearing that, Yeonjun's shoulder seemed to relax, and he let out the breath he'd been holding. "Anything for you, Soobinie." He smiled softly, taking the necklace from Soobin, deftly unclasping it, before moving to help him put it on. His knuckles brushed against the younger boy's neck, sending butterflies up Soobin's stomach. He clasped it on quickly, before holding out his phone so Soobin could see how he looked.

His eyes lit up the moment he saw himself in the mirror, though Soobin knew he loved it anyway, with or without knowing how it looked. It didn't exactly matter, because it felt like he brought with him a piece of Yeonjun whenever he held the things he'd given him. "I love it, Yeonjun hyung! I promise I'll wear it as much as I can!"

The older boy simply smiled, ruffling his hair. "I'm glad you like it, Binnie," he said, fingers ruffling through Soobin's hair affectionately. Without thinking, he pulled the younger boy close, turning him around so he faced him. Something about Soobin got the adrenaline running through his veins, the words tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"You know I love you, right?"

At that, Soobin's cheeks turned bright crimson. Somehow, the confession was the last thing on the list of possible things he thought Yeonjun would say, but at the same time, the thought of Yeonjun possibly being in love with him sent a warm flurry of emotions through his chest, like a bowl of warm soup on a cold day, like a tsunami in his chest, the words he'd held in his heart for years finally coming to the tip of his tongue. "I love you too, Yeonjun hyung," he whispered, a glimpse of glitter in bright eyes the last thing he remembered before the warm, fluttery feeling of warm lips overtook him, the scent of lemons and sandalwood flooding his senses, tinted with a hint of mint chocolate.

The necklace was never taken off.

—--

"Soobin-ah, I can hear your precious thoughts from here. Go to sleep," Yeonjun drawled, snapping Soobin out of his reverie. "What's so important you have to think about it now?"

At that, Soobin smiled. "You," he answered, waiting for the older boy's response. He felt Yeonjun pull him closer, until his chest was pressed against Soobin's back, his leg thrown haphazardly over Soobin's legs. Hazily, he felt a pair of lips press against his neck, whispering against his skin. "Jagiya, you're so cute, you know that, right? I'm not going anywhere," Yeonjun murmured sleepily, hands moving to find Soobin's larger ones, still buried in his pillow. "You have me here, okay? I'll be with you for as long as you want."

Soobin felt his heart swell up, the same way it had done the very first time Yeonjun had ever said 'I love you' to him. "And what if I said I wanted forever?" He breathed out, his voice slightly shaky even as the words tipped out of his mouth.

"Then forever it is," came the simple reply. It was amazing how the four words, as simple as they were, held as much power as they did. Words filled with love, reading with passion, yet quieted by an unspoken determination to push through, a commitment to whatever they were, and whoever they could be. Hearing that, Soobin felt the quiet seed of fear, of worry, as irrational as it was, quell away. Its place was taken over by the small seed of hope, the familiar warm feeling of being loved taking over, crashing over him once again, even though he knew he'd already been swimming in that very same ocean. Knew that even through the slight bouts of anxiety, and bouts of fear, he was safe. Fingers threaded through his own, squeezing his palm tightly, a small reminder that he was here.

That Yeonjun had been and would be here, for a long, long time to come.

"Love you, hyungie." Soobin leaned back slightly until their cheeks just barely touched. "I love you. I promise to stay, too. Always."

He felt warm lips curve into a smile, humming softly against his skin. "I love you too, Soobin-ah. Always, okay? Now go to sleep," Yeonjun whispered, smiling against Soobin's neck. Somehow he always loved it, loved the late-night cuddles and talks they had, no matter how mundane. Or no matter how mushy they were, having Soobin there always made him feel brave, feel safe. Like he was ready to take on almost anything, like there was nothing to be afraid of, not truly, as long as he had Soobin by his side. Loving him was as easy as breathing, and Yeonjun knew he'd love him for as long as he continued breathing, continued living. I love you, the words drifted on the tip of his tongue.

I love you.

A soft whisper of "Good night," was the last thing either of them heard, before being pulled back into slumber, their hands still intertwined. 

---------
A/N: 1550 words! This...was another self-indulgent Oneshot, lol- wrote this one for fun...
ManuAndhale. Here's an actually fluffy one! Can't believe I actually managed to write one- XD after so long- and chocolatewithtea. Here's a   soft one, in case you want something fluffy to read in the morning- this one's for you guys- :) ❤️ oh, and before I forget-
Remember the necklace Yeonjun gave Soobin? It's in the shape of Solomon's knot, a symbol of eternity and immortality, sometimes symbolizing the bond between the Divine and man. However, the entwined figures can also be seen as a symbol of love,  which is used here, as a symbol of eternity and everlasting love- I may not be that well versed in this, though I did do some research into the symbology- if you guys have more info on it or want me to change it, do tell me- I hope you enjoyed reading! ❤️