October 11, 2016
Jeungpyeong, Chungcheongbuk...

Kyuhyun sighed impatiently as he continuously counted the number of ticks his wristwatch was making; his mind reminding him that thirty minutes had already passed since he first arrived at the venue.

Ryeowook was taking so long in meeting up with his fans, Kyuhyun thought as he momentarily closed his eyes and relaxed on the chair he was sitting on. Or maybe it was just short and Kyuhyun just was too impatient--but it didn't matter. After all, today was the day his bestfriend was going to enlist to the military, and Ryeowook insisted that he first wanted to meet with his fans before he truly step away from the celebrity life for two years. Kyuhyun understood that it was a nice gesture--something the ELFs would appreciate--but he thought that Ryeowook should at least hurry up.

He seriously wanted to spend some time with the other too before they separate for three years--three years that they both would spend on their required duty to their country.

Suddenly, a hand gently rested on his shoulder; making him open his eyes only to see that it was their leader. Leeteuk truly was a good mother for them all, as he too wanted to send Ryeowook off to the military. The impending separation had taken a toll on their dearest eldest so maybe that was why Leeteuk insisted to come here despite his hectic schedules--Kyuhyun couldn't blame him; after all, Ryeowook was an important brother to them all and it was only right to be there with him on his final moments of his civilian life.

"Relax, Kyu," The dimpled-man quietly soothed as he patted Kyuhyun on the head. "You know how Ryeowook values his fans. And you know how ELFs value our eternal maknae too."

Kyuhyun sullenly nodded. Of course he understood. They live for their fans' love after all, and in the end, when all else would fail, the only thing that they could hold on to would be the ELFs' support.

"I know, hyung. It's just that... I just want to spend time with my bestfriend before we are separated for three years. And three years is a lon--"

"Isn't a long time. Three years isn't a long time, Kyuhyun. Trust me, it will go by in just a wink of an eye." The older said as he stretched out on the hard chair he was sitting on with a tired yawn. "And honestly, do you still think of Ryeowook-ah as your bestfriend?"

The maknae frowned. "Of course he's my bestfriend. What do you mean with that?"

This time, their leader laughed fondly as he stood up from the chair; his face containing a hint of a secretive smile. "Nothing. Nothing at all." And then he started to walk away, but not before looking at Kyuhyun with a hopeful look in his eyes. "Just be sure that you don't regret looking at Ryeowook in that light."

The maknae was then left alone with his hyung's word running around his mind; his face flushed red as he nervously looked at his wristwatch.

Leeteuk couldn't possibly imply what he was thinking about.
--

Kyuhyun groaned groggily as he hesitantly opened his eyes; the feeling of someone prodding his cheek in a continuous manner annoying the hell out of him. When he opened his eyes, he expected to meet bright light, but what greeted him was the bubbly face of Ryeowook with a big smile on his lips.

"Kyu, wake up. I'm done." The eternal maknae chirped as he helped Kyuhyun sit up properly on the stiff chair he accidentally slept on. "I'm so sorry that you fell asleep waiting for me."

Kyuhyun shook his head as he righted his position with a grunt. "No, it's okay. How many more minutes before you need to go inside the office?" And he then hissed in slight discomfort as some bones in his body went back to their original position with a loud crack. He was not so young anymore--he shouldn't sleep on monobloc chairs from now on.

Apparently, his misfortune was enough to amuse Ryeowook, who started to chuckle at him before offering a cup of water. "I'll go at one-thirty. Want some?"

Kyuhyun nodded thankfully; prompting the other to put the cup of water near to his face. "Thank yo--" And that was when Kyuhyun became acutely aware on just how near Ryeowook's hand was to his face.

There had been a million times already that he and Ryeowook had held hands. During concerts and after, on some variety show filming, and even when they were watching some scary movie and Ryeowook had been too frightened, their hands were bound to find their way to each other. Holding hands had been as normal as breathing to them, but this was the first time Kyuhyun noticed it.

Kyuhyun never noticed the deftness and limberness of Ryeowook's hands until now. In fact, his hands weren't only pale but it was smooth to the touch too. His hyung's hands definitely looked like female's--with its gentleness and softness--but Kyuhyun realized that it suited Ryeowook's kind personality.

And, suddenly, Kyuhyun wanted to touch Ryeowook's hands.

"Kyu?" Ryeowook's soft voice disrupted Kyuhyun's wandering attention; the younger blinking in surprise as the older man looked at him curiously. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah."