I ~ The Promise

Soft, melodic chirping awoke the nineteen-year-old before the warmth of cozy fabrics threatened to lull him to sleep once more. Jaehwan wiggled his nose and puckered his bottom lip out as he grumbled under his breath, demanding the birds to shut up or else he would open the window and throw a shoe at them.

Alas, the chirping continued, but when the brown eyes opened, darkness was the only thing to greet him. It took the nineteen-year-old several moments to realize he was engulfed in a blanket cocoon before cautiously peeking out of the sheets.

Rays of soft light seeped through the curtains, giving the off-white walls and earth-toned furniture a tranquil glow. The digital clock on the stand beside the pull-out bed read, 07:30 A.M., and Jaehwan ducked back into the cocoon, a whine asking why in the world he would be waking up at such an early hour muffled by the thick fabrics. With one arm out of the blanket, his body jerked in a gallant roll to the other side of the bed, and suddenly the blonde head appeared again, wide eyes burning a hole into the empty space that he knew was occupied just hours ago.

Sitting up, Jaehwan studied the sleeping figures scattered in his living room. Sanghyuk stayed true to his word the previous night and held the loveseat captive, a peaceful expression on his face as his head took up one cushion while his legs dangled off the armrest on the opposite side. A brief moment of guilt for not letting the maknae have the pull-out bed past through Jaehwan before his eyes landed on the two tangled bodies lying on the floor. It seems sometime during the night, Wonshik had grabbed Hongbin and hired the dimpled male as his personal hug pillow. One of the younger male’s arms splayed across the platinum’s face without a care while the other lay sprawled above the snoring male’s head. The second eldest, like the others, appeared unbothered by the snores as he lay huddled in blankets much like Jaehwan himself was moments ago, though on closer inspection, the young man noticed the cords of earphones sticking out of the fabrics, and he had to take a moment to grumble how sly his hyung was.

The blonde sighed heavily, now wide awake and ready for it to be night all over again. Only then did a rich, crispy scent dance its way into the nineteen-year-old’s nostrils, and just like that, Jaehwan threw the layers of blankets to the floor, flew out of the bed, and dashed into the kitchen.

Twinkling eyes doubled in size at the sight of the golden-skin male standing over the stove, back facing the doorway where Jaehwan stood as the sizzle and pops coming from the iron pan filled the room. The blonde leapt. The blonde pounced.

The blonde acquired his target.

“Hakyeon-hyung!” A yelp rang above the bright coo as arms wrapped around the twenty-one-year-old’s shoulders.

“Jaehwan-ah…!” The intimidation of the older male’s glare was greatly lowered by the fluffed cheeks and slight waver in his voice. Seeing the blonde unaffected, Hakyeon pitifully admitted defeat and went full on pout instead. “Yah! Haven’t I told you not to scare me like that?” A chop landed with precise ease to the taller’s neck.

Jaehwan stretched his own bottom lip out as he rested his chin on the clothed shoulder, his grip tightening when Hakyeon tried to escape. “But, hyuuung…”

“‘But, hyung,’ what? It’s too early for this.” The brunette voiced a soft ‘oh’ before tilting his head to one side slightly. “Why are you up, anyway? I thought sleeping in was your number one rule when it came to vacation?”

The blonde continued to pout. “I didn’t have my hug pillow…” He glanced at the brunette with narrowed eyes, his nose faintly scrunched and the pout sharper. “You were supposed to be my hug pillow, but you left me alone in the cold sheets!” A short burst of laughter came from the golden-skinned man as he stirred the meat and vegetables in the skillet.

“Jaehwan-ah, you were bundled up. Nice and warm.”

“But you promised since my little cousin ruined my Chopper.”

Hakyeon threw the younger a wide-eyed glance. “How many years ago was that?”

“So, you do remember!” Jaehwan waited until Hakyeon, still in shock and now on auto-pilot, was done moving the meal to a prepared platter before repeatedly knocking the older in the chest and back. “You promised! You promised!”

“Who promised what?” came a groggy voice from the doorway. The duo turned to see Sanghyuk rubbing one eye with his fist and dragging his feet until he could collapse in the nearest chair. “Why are you guys so loud this early in the morning?”