“You know a lot about space, huh?”

Jinhwan gives him a sideways glance before looking back up at the stars. It’s been awhile since they’ve had time to breathe, let alone a little bit of free time.

And yet here they are, on the rooftop of the company, taking a fifteen minute break before they’re back into practice for the next few hours.

It’s like old times.

He shrugs one shoulder, brushing against Hanbin. “You could say so.” He always did like learning about astrology when he was younger, before wanting to become a singer. The universe fascinates him and even though he knows it won’t come in handy too much, that didn’t stop him from learning about it eagerly all the same.

“Then what about the space between us?”

Jinhwan doesn’t answer right away. Hanbin doesn’t press him further.

They sit in the silence, taking their time even though each moment is precious and passing by quickly, too quickly.

Finally Jinhwan speaks. “There’s no space between us,” he says carefully, as if he’s weighing each word before they come out of his mouth. “Except the space you make.”

“I’m not,” insists Hanbin, his fingers lightly trailing over Jinhwan’s knuckles. The elder doesn’t move, face bathed with starlight. This is what Hanbin lives for.

They used to do this all the time, sneaking up to the rooftop in between dance breaks and vocal classes. They used to lie on their backs and stare at the stars and dream about when they were going to debut, telling all the secrets to each other that still remain hidden away, wedged between the spaces of their hands, their shoulders.

Jinhwan used to talk about the stars, their different constellations. He used to talk about the moon, its different phases. He could talk about the universe forever and Hanbin would listen the whole time, only thinking of how stars shone brighter in Jinhwan’s eyes than in the night sky.

He told the elder this once, on their way back down to the practice room. The flush has faded from their cheeks and their sweat is dried and they are ready to be thrown back into it all again.

Jinhwan had been jumping down the last step, eager to get back and Hanbin had blurted it out for no reason at all except that there may as well have been galaxies in Jinhwan and no one would ever know.

“You have stars in your eyes too, hyung. They’re much brighter.”

Jinhwan was silent at first, making Hanbin afraid he had gone too far.

But then Jinhwan had smiled, one that touches his eyes and reaches far to his back teeth, and Hanbin swears he may as well shine brighter than the sun too.

They don’t get time alone anymore. Now there are the members, the ones Hanbin leads and Jinhwan looks after. Their schedules are close to overflowing and there’s constantly something going on that prevents them ever being together.

Hanbin knows he has a job as a leader and he knows it’s different from Jinhwan’s job as a hyung. They both need to be around to care for the rest of the group. Hanbin cares about the outside threats, Jinhwan cares about the ones within.

They work well together, like that.

But it doesn’t make him feel any better about Jinhwan being so far away from him.

“You’re very busy,” Hanbin says as an explanation and Jinhwan blinks, his eyes still turned upward to the sky.

“So are you,” he says back and Hanbin thinks it’s not just him who’s feeling lonely.

“I don’t mean to, you know. It just...happens.” He feels like he has to defend himself but from what, he has no idea. Jinhwan doesn’t argue much and he definitely doesn’t accuse. Maybe it’s Hanbin’s own feelings getting the better of him.

“I know.” Jinhwan’s learned long ago to never expect Hanbin to put anything before his work. He’s gotten nothing out of it when he tried before except guilty apologies and kisses pressed to his wrists, his face.

He doesn’t take it personally anymore.

“I’m still sorry about it, hyung.”

“You don’t have to be.” Jinhwan spreads his fingers out on the ground and Hanbin curls his pinky around Jinhwan’s.

“If it’s for you, then I do.”

“You don’t have to be sorry for me.” It comes out sounding more annoyed than Jinhwan would’ve liked but he knows Hanbin won’t take it the wrong

way. He never does.

“It’s partly your fault, you know.”

“How is it my fault?” Jinhwan looks over at Hanbin, expecting for the younger to get defensive. Hanbin always did have a temper. But instead he sees the curve of Hanbin’s cheek, meaning he’s holding back a smile.

“If you weren’t so perfect, then I wouldn’t stay up all night writing songs about you.”

“I hope I’m not perfect. That means I have no space to grow.”

Hanbin shifts closer, thighs pressed together and shoulders bumping and now Jinhwan really has no space. But he doesn’t mind. Not really. “Maybe not,

but you’re pretty close.”

“Hanbin-ah,” scolds Jinhwan gently, but a warm feeling bubbles up in his chest, a feeling not even the stars could bring out.

It’s Hanbin’s way of saying I love you because those times are few and far between and Jinhwan had come to expect him showing it other ways. He doesn’t mind it much, not when Hanbin does so many other things that prove just how much he cares.

Hanbin wants to say more but he knows if he does, they’ll be out here for hours more. They can’t afford that right now.

“We should be getting back,” he says, voice tinged with regret. This time is too short. There’s not enough time, there’s never enough time.

“Yeah,” agrees Jinhwan but he doesn’t move right away, eyes stuck to the sky. It’ll be awhile before they can come back up here and although nothing much was resolved, nothing much had to be in the first place.

“It’s odd,” he starts out, starlight dancing on his skin and Hanbin almost forgets to breathe because Jinhwan is just so beautiful. “That so many people know us and yet the universe is so big, it’s like we don’t even matter.”

Hanbin slots their fingers together. “You matter to me.”

Happy Valentine's Day everyone <3