‘Hey! Don’t shine the light in my eyes, you dummy!’ Luhan swings his pillow at Jongin.

‘Sorry, hyung, but our fort requires urgent maintenance,’ Jongin smiles sheepishly, turning his flashlight to the makeshift bolster columns, which were sagging and drooping their blanket roof onto their heads.

‘All right, soldier. Let’s get back to work,’ Luhan commands, forcing his voice low, and Jongin returns a sharp salute.

The boys make quick work of it, stacking up pillows and spreading out quilts over comforters, renovating their shapeless and shabby pillow fort that would hopefully last the night.

Thunder roars outside, the rain like bullets against the windows. The boys are curled up in their cosy burrow, flashlights casting long shadows on the pillow walls. Both were on the brink of falling asleep, but they fought the drowsiness, trying to stay awake.

‘Are you sleepy, Jongin?’ Luhan asks, blinking slowly, hoping the younger boy would admit to it so they could both turn in for the night.

‘Mmm… Nope,’ Jongin denies, drawing a sigh from Luhan.

‘Hyung, I’ve been thinking,’ Jongin shifts under the layers of blankets. ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’

Luhan smiles then, his eyes closed and expression peaceful. ‘I want to become a doctor,’ he divulges, snuggling his face into his stuffed deer toy, ‘I want to do something good, y’know? Help people.’

Jongin pouts into his pillow, muttering, ‘Won’t you have to go to school for forever to be a doctor? I wouldn’t get to see you anymore.’

Luhan scoots closer to the younger boy, noses almost touching. Jongin studies Luhan’s face, searching for an answer in the shadows.

‘Don’t worry, Jongin,’ Luhan finds Jongin’s hands, intertwining their small fingers. ‘You always worry.’

Luhan falls asleep shortly after that, but Jongin does not get much sleep that night.