Was stuck on traffic for hours, mind is still floating from strong caffeine, and my seatmate is a Twice fan watching their latest MV... (which only made me bitter bec. when is iKON's comback???? *cries*)

Anyway, yeah. Typed out this short Hanbin x Donghyuk thingy bec. I was bitter. lol

Long time no see everyone. I MISS IKON.

There's a whole universe in a person's eyes. Stars shining in an infinite expanse of black velvet, and oceans of blue waves that you'd like to drown yourself into. Hanbin has never seen such imagery when making eye contact with another person. It's always the eye color he notices first, then the number of times they blink.

Something close to the stars and the oceans though, like soft shimmers under the sunlight, he sees. Hanbin sees them in Donghyuk's eyes and they both captivate and terrify him.

He sees innocence and beauty, sincerity and love, reverence and faith - all directed at him. Hanbin finds himself drawn, like a moth around a flame and he wouldn't mind being burned just so he could continue having Donghyuk look at him with those eyes. So he could see himself reflected on them as if he’s part of Donghyuk’s universe.

But there's also fragility, doubt and fear all buried under the layers of what captivates him. The struggles they face grow more exhausting and he sees the buried get more pronounced. Hanbin is scared of the shimmers of sunlight becoming dimmer even though they overcome each time. It scares him how he can't seem to fully protect Donghyuk, to match the faith his dongsaeng has on him.

And there are times when he wants to look away, feign ignorance about Donghyuk's fragilities and his own. Is it wrong to just assign Donghyuk with harmonization and falsettos? Did he do a mistake encouraging Donghyuk to lose weight? Should he have been harsher or gentler? Sometimes he goes as far as wishing he isn't a leader, a friend, or a brother.

Yet Donghyuk perseveres. He smiles over little victories, laughs and dances over significant ones, and responds to mistakes by promising to do better next time. Hanbin tells himself not to look away, pay respects to his dongsaeng's efforts. Look at him. Eye to eye.

That's when he sees the so-called universe imagery. More than the sunlight and its warm shimmers, he sees a Donghyuk that is stronger. More confident. A Donghyuk who still has his fragilities but meets them with a strength that accepts and prevails. Maybe it was the fear and doubts that prevented Hanbin from seeing, but it doesn't matter now. He sees, and the image is beautiful.

“Is there something on my face hyung?”

He snaps at that and blinks. Donghyuk is looking at him curiously, asking why he's staring at his face so much.

"Just noticed you have really beautiful eyes." He grins widely, cupping the younger's face. "Woah seriously. What is this? I see the sun and the ocean and the night sky--

"Aish!" Donghyuk jerks his head away from his hands and gives him an embarrassed but annoyed look. "Please don't try your cheesy pick-up lines on me. Anyway, about this line in the chorus--

"It's not a pick-up line! Believe in your hyung."

Donghyuk sticks his tongue at him and pushes the song sheet closer to him. "Whatever you say hyung. So, about this part…"

Hanbin tries to listen but he finds himself peeking up to Donghyuk’s eyes again. His dongsaeng stops for the second time and gives him an exasperated look as if waiting for an explanation. Hanbin just flashes the “Keep It Real” hand gestures he likes these days and as he expected, Donghyuk laughs and lets go.

“Looks like you’re too tired to function properly. How about we take a break?”

Normally, Hanbin would have told him he could go ahead and rest, that he wants to handle the rest of the work, but now…

“No. Why don’t we work together on the chorus? That way, it’ll be faster.”

“What, really?” the younger blinks, surprised, then gives out into a big smile.

“Really. Hyung needs your help!”

“Okay! Thanks hyung.” Donghyuk laughs and shifts his swivel chair closer. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to try an acoustic guitar on the background for the chorus and the intro. I think it fits better than…”

This time, Hanbin listens properly. Sort of. He grins widely at the happy face Donghyuk shows as he talks and like the moth that he is, Hanbin is once again drawn to the glints and sparkles of Donghyuk’s eyes.

The whole universe in there is living and breathing - the perfect reflection of how Donghyuk is in the present. Hanbin will be honored to see it evolve into something more beautiful in the future.

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Either BobDong / DongHwan or AllDong will be next. :)

Edit: WOW so this is the 30th chapter?! I didn't think I'll reach this number with this fic dump of mine! *wipes tear* Thank you to everyone who read subscribed and reviewed these fics so far! Love you all! ♥ Also, Donghyuk is a beautiful human being so stan him!