of shoulders and puzzles;

   Hakyeon was a motherly person by instinct and the leader of VIXX by fate. The eldest of the boy band had the sole responsibility of taking care of the younger ones whether it was to wake them up, rush them to their van in the early mornings, or to check if they weren't left behind in the midst of the daily chaos. All the given responsibilities were exhausting for the twenty-five year old male, but every night after taking care of his obligations, there was a sense of pride and satisfaction strongly kindling inside him, all his worries vanishing into puffs of forgotten carbon dioxide before heading to bed. Once Hakyeon tucked the kids in and bid good night, the younger members would return the gesture with bright smiles, no matter how tired they were from the hectic schedule of the day, and a peaceful “thank you, hyung; good night, hyung.” Their smiles would reach to very depth of their eyes and with only those genuine smiles, Hakyeon was willing to frantically panic and worry to the point of sheer exhaustion all over again.

But sometimes, he didn't want to repeat the stressful days; he wanted to leave it all behind to lead a normal and perhaps even better life. There were pessimistic moments when Hakyeon, no matter how much he adored the other members, was too tired and sick of being the caretaker. There was only one of him, Hakyeon would think at these times, so how was he supposed to take care of so much responsibilities? Every now and then, he just needed a shoulder to rest his jumbled head on. (Hakyeon was never the person to cry or even like crying so he strayed away from using mental analogies and metaphors that pertained the word “cry” and would deliberately switch some words around to better fit him.)

When these rare but existent moments occurred, Hakyeon tended to widen the distance between himself and the other boys. However, it was gradually proving to be useless; the second eldest of VIXX seemed to eventually catch on, connecting the sudden reserved personality that the leader would have to the sudden onslaught of workload he was receiving.

One night, Taekwoon noticed the widening distance between the beloved leader and the younger members of the group. With the best interest for the group (but more specifically the leader) in mind, Taekwoon wordlessly wrapped his fingers around the other's and dragged him away from the innocently oblivious children and into another room – their bedroom.

“Hakyeon,” Taekwoon said simply yet with full of emotions. His eyes worriedly shifted from one side to the other in hopes of finding a hole in Hakyeon's smiling mask.

“What's up?” Hakyeon naturally replied, voice bright and hiding tones of wariness. Even if the boy in front of him was only few months younger, Hakyeon refused to let himself divulge in the temporary happiness that ranting and whining provided. Unfortunately for the eldest, Taekwoon knew better than to believe the masqueraded faces idols always put on. Taekwoon might have not been the most outspoken person, but his shy demeanor did not mean his ability to sense other people's sadness was lacking in any way. In fact, VIXX's main vocalist secretly took pride in his keen senses, and upon noticing Hakyeon's sudden detachment, Taekwoon immediately knew something was wrong.

“...I'm here for you,” the younger of the two answered softly. Hakyeon blinked in surprise. Taekwoon did the same. The latter hadn't expected to say those words out loud. It had been a momentary thought that happened to fly by in his subconscious mind. What was on his conscious mind was quite different; he was supposed to ask, if not demand (given, Taekwoon was bad at demanding and forcing out answers using fear so his plan might not have worked at all), why Haekyeon was distancing himself from the rest of the group.

“W—What?” Hakyeon stuttered, clearly surprised by the singer's statement. Taekwoon's eyes, once shaking with confusion by his own action, became firm. Then, t took only a matter of few seconds of more awkward silence and Taekwoon's gentle but knowing stares for Hakyeon, the overly enthusiastic, buoyant, and endearing twenty-five year old, to break down, tears endlessly falling down his sun-kissed cheeks. “I—I...” The moment he started to talk was also the first time to deeply think of the past draining days. The once suppressed stress exploded inside him, roughly pushing its way out. “Taekwoon-ah,” he sobbed as he shook his head and pressed his left palm against his temple, “I'm so tired. I know I'm not the only one who's tired because I know you guys go through hardships too. I know this, but I'm just so tired. I want to quit being an idol, Taekwoon, and the very idea of it just —” Hakyeon paused as if the mere thought was too unbearable to admit.

Taekwoon understood. Of course he and the younger members were tired and stressed; however, it was obvious that they didn't gain as much pain as their precious leader did. From the sidelines, he had silently watched Hakyeon jump back up in the midst of the stress with a bright smile and cheerful attitude, but these past few days were different. Hakyeon stood, face solemn and attitude monotonous. A pang of guilt shot through Taekwoon's chest. He should have been there for him, even if his presence would have only brought more silence from the leader. Taekwoon was a firm believer that company, no matter what kind, was always needed and was appreciated. After all, even a silent person like him enjoyed the warmth and, though sometimes overbearing, love from his precious teammates. Despite knowing this, he hadn't acted quickly enough; he should've done something much earlier.

It wasn't too late, though. Taekwoon was hopeful. His objective in mind, the conscious and subconscious, he smiled as brightly as he was able to and gently caressed Hakyeon's cheeks, wiping away the remaining wetness of exhaustion. Hakyeon merely looked at the other in confusion and surprise, having never seen such bright smile illuminate from his face. At that moment, the younger leaned closer, his long limbs slowly wrapping around the now frozen leader. It was amazing, really, how Taekwoon's sturdy arms perfectly wrapped around Hakyeon's slim torso and how Hakyeon's head was at the perfect height to place his jumbled head on Taekwoon's perfectly broad shoulders. It was amazing how the two boys matched together like couple of puzzle pieces that, albeit looking so different and incongruous, needed each other to complete the masterpiece as a whole.

“I know,” Taekwoon whispered, his hand rubbing Hakyeon's back in vertical motion with full of care and — dare Hakyeon say it — love. “I know it's hard, but I believe in you — we all do. So if you're in pain, talk to us. Talk to me.”

Hakyeon let out a final sob before, finally, he too, leaned into the warm body holding him and wrapped his own arms round it. His rosy-tinted cheeks, now dry of tears, rested on the other's strong shoulder. “I will." It was a muffled reply, his cheek fat pressing down on his lips, but Taekwoon understood perfectly.

Because everything about the two oldest members of VIXX was a perfect fit for one another.

1218 words

a/n: welp. here it is. ;u; three days late -ish. i hope it was enjoyable and made sense (i tried to use more metaphorical details and stuff in this story, but i realized, with the help of my blunt friends, that things that make perfect sense in my head may not to other people's pretty little heads e u e). anyways, construcive criticism is always welcome (seriously, i welcome all that is helpful). even if it's just a simple comment (eg. your feels, your lack of feels, etc), i really appreciate that as well so please comment c: thanks for reading (and waiting)! 

important (side) note: there may be a spin-off since this is more of a prequel to my original plot, but i'm not too sure yet. if you believe it'd be best to keep it as one-shot, please do tell me. i will take each suggestion/comment into consideration~