Year 5, graduation.

--

--

--

---

"U-Unnie," Her voice stuttered, trying to get used to calling the older girl what she had wanted. It has been a total of eight months since they had known each other, and Seulgi had been using honorifics since. Despite spending nearly every day together, down to every second of every hour, Seulgi just would not drop the honorifics. "See? It wasn't that hard! You got it out!"

"B-But I-Irene-ssi!!" Seulgi let out a whine as her cheeks with pinched in the older's grasp, the whining getting louder one Irene pulled outwards. "Bear, I will continue to pinch you every time you add honorifics to my name. Try calling me 'Bunny,' mm?" Upon being released, her hands cupped her cheeks to soothe them. "B-- B-- Irene-ssi, I can't do it!"

It was too quick for her to process and here she was, on the ground with the older a top of her, pinching at her cheeks again. "A--Ahh!! It hurts!! Unnie-ah!" A smile broadened on the smaller's lips, now moving her hands to pet the other's head.

Despite her cheeks burning with heat and stings of pain, she still found the affection comforting. Her head nuzzled into the older's hand as she giggled, smiling just as brightly as the older. "See? Not so hard, you got it out without stuttering." With a gentle and obedient nod, she allowed the older to continue spoiling her head with pets.

--

--

---

Hands were clasped together as graduation came to a close. It was successful year for the new found friends, claiming to be each other's everything; bound by promises and wishes, sister from another mister, and soulmates by chance. "Unnie, unnie." 

The younger's voice never failed to make the older smile, even by a little. "Yes? Is there something you need?" The younger's hand pointed into a direction, leading them to their parents. With a curt nod, she allowed the bear to lead the two of them to their families. 

It was not just the two of them who got closer, their families did as well. After being forced to bond with their kids wishes, they were able to spend all school breaks together. "Umma, Appa~!" It even got to the point where each other's parents were their second family. "Ah, there you guys are!" Of course, each still had their boundaries, but never walls were placed between them. 

"You guys did well, and as promised... If you were recognized for academic achievements, you guys get to have your free time." The two high fived each other at their successful bet they proposed an hour before the ceremony, knowing fully well they would get their wish anyway. "Hussah!" 

They handed their respective certificates to their parents before linking their arms together and running off to their supposed 'hideout.' It was not far, but it was a 'secret.' It was only two blocks away from the school, and evenly spaced from their houses as well. "Are we now claiming this as ours?" Irene laid her hand onto the door knob and pushed the metal door open, walking into the darkness and flicking the lights on. "No one really uses it.. My oppa used to own it, but now it's just an empty place that he owns for....me?"

"For you?" Seulgi furrowed her brows a bit, looking around at the place. It was pretty and wide, and very minimalistic. "Yeah! He said that if I wanted to when I'm older, I could live here." Their footsteps echoed through the vast area, going through corridors and viewing rooms. With careful counting they have seen: two bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a kitchen, and two open areas. "Don't... you think it's a little....too big for us?" 

The older looked back at the younger and shrugged her shoulders. As expected of the Bae family, they are more than enough to be well off. "It's practically a house.." And again, the older shrugged and smiled. "If that's the case then, would you care to live here with me when we grow older?"

"Unnie, we're bound by promises. Of course I would." 

Seeing the other girl smile, the older did as well. In the short amount of period that they have known each other, it felt like years. They knew every single little thing about one another, and even more so their dreams and aspirations. "Do you think we should start with only using the bottom living room? After all, that is the only place we can run around in."

"That sounds good," and they went off to fix the place up, clear from rubble and dust.

--

--

---

"Do you think... maybe we could be together forever?" 

The elder stopped in the middle of dusting, looking back towards the younger with a puzzled expression. "...W-Why are you looking at me like that..."

After placing the dust pan down and the broom, Irene came over and without warning, pinching the younger's cheeks. "Yah, are you in your right mind? Of course we're going to be together. Forever. Even if you wanted to leave, I won't let you leave."

Seulgi looked at her, wondering if she sounded angry or upset. She couldn't really tell, "I... was just asking-!" She yelped in pain as the older pinched her cheeks harder, tears almost coming into her eyes. "We are bound by promise, Seulgi. We're not going to separate.. I promise."

The younger wriggled free from the pinches of the older's, rubbing her cheeks and pouting immediately. "Did you have to pinch my cheeks that hard?!" 

"Did you have to ask a stupid question?!" 

"Did you have to yell at me?!"

"You started yelling first!!"

"Stop yelling at me!" 

The two locked gaze in a fit of anger, tension rising -- but that immediately fell apart once Seulgi began to smile.

Irene tried getting a grip on her anger, trying to make it clear that she was rather insulted by the question -- but who could resist that bearish smile with those gorgeous eyesmiles? 

A sigh released from the confinements of her lungs, smiling a bit while after. "Clearly, as the unnie here, I have a soft spot for you and that is not fair whatsoever."

There was a 'hmph' heard in the air, but soon laughter rang through the vacancy.

Their arms linked together soon as they realized it was time to go back home and clean the dirt off of their hands.

They didn't have to say much to each other.

They both know fully well how to contact through body language.

With smiles and quirks of the brow, grins and eyesmiles... to knowing how each person reacts to a certain word said or just different actions.

They clasped hands together and closed the hide out together, walking home side-by-side and talking about matters that just recently happened as if it were years ago.

"You sound like a mouse when you yell at me"

"It's not my fault you sound like a tiny hulk."

"Oh shut up, bear!"

"Yoooou shut up!"

It may sound like angry kids talking to each other as if they were fighting, but here they were, laughing their hearts out and smiling.

They were inseperable.

And instead of just parting from one another to go into their separate homes, they entered to the Bae Residents and crawled into Irene's bed. Nothing much was spoken, but Irene knew the kind of sleepy bear the other was. "Oh come on."

A hand helded onto the younger girl's wrist, pulling her closer to the bed and making sure she climbed up, laying safely next to her. "I know you're tired," Her hands move to cup the younger's cheek, giving her a toothy grin -- one with full affection. "I-I'm not tired..." With that, the older smooshes her cheeks together and giving her a pair of guppy lips. "I know you are tired for a fact, bear." 

The bear seemed to already fall into deep sleep, considering her eyes are closed and the steady breaths of nearing snores were coming to hear. "I'm....not..." Was all she heard before the true sounds of snorting came to light, and it only caused her to chuckle silently.

Her hands pulls her closer as she watched the younger sleep, her hand brushing away strands of her hair whilst making sure that no signs of bad dreams made their way to her sacred place of dreams. 

If she were being honest, she doesn't remember a time she felt so attached to someone. Surely, a year is only a number of time; 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8765 hours, 525948 minutes, and 31556926 seconds. But what she feels? 

What she feels? 

It feels like a life time. An eternity. 

"Ah... Irene-ah... What are you thinking... You're just 11 years of age..." The corner of her lips pull into a light grin, and she can't help herself from leaning in close and placing a kiss onto her forehead just as her hand laid rest on the younger's cheek.

There was always this funny feeling in her chest that prevents her from sleeping, and usually this comes acquainited with this retched sensation inside of her to make her cough the misery up. So, she moves quietly and quickly, seeking refuge into the restroom to make a hurried mess of herself. With some tissue paper roughly folded up and in the palm of her hand, she covered and coughs violently a few times – desperately trying to keep the noise of her coughs at a bare minimum and not wake the guest sleeping in her bed just out the door.

With a heaved sigh, she doesn't take a look at the tissue and swiftly tosses the item towardsd the toilet, followed by a quick flush.

Following restroom etiquette, she moves to was her hands before leaning down towards the sink, splashing some water against her features then patting her face down gently with a face towel.

She finds herself staring into space as she leaned against the sink, her hand still within the towel as it laid against her chin.

There are certain things to be left unsaid, and she pardons herself for it. Something like this should be left unsaid when it's a lost cause... right? 

There's no point in having to worry.. or even if there's anything to worry about. 

But she knows that friendships mean no having secrets between the two of them.. But it won't be a secret if it's left unsaid, right?

If it's forgotten and unspoken of, it's not a secret.

Of course it isn't.

Slowly, she just chuckles to herself and places the towel back where it belongs, leaving the though behind as creeps her way back onto the bed and into the sheets. 

Her arms slowly wrap around the younger and places herself back to the big spoon she was, pressing a gentle kiss onto her forehead as she pulled her closer. Though, with a result, she hears a quiet whine and a wince. 

Immediately, she looks down and loosens her arms a bit, gazing at the bear-like girl with worry etched into her features. 

"Unnie..."

"I-Is something wrong?"

"You're pulling on my--" yawn "hair...."

Seulgi fell back asleep with her head falling limp against the older's arm and it brings an amused grin to Irene's lips.

And carefully, her arms pull her back in close. 

She keeps quiet, watching the bear sleep as peacefully (yet messily) as a hibernating cub. With every breath the younger took in and released, it gave her a sense of happiness and relief since it meant that she was alive. Not having to worry about any other difficulty that may impair one's longitivity to life. And she hopes that she'll never have to experience the cruel reality of having to spend every day as if it's their last. 

"Goodnight and sweet dreams, bear. May our friendship last forever."

--

--

--

---

A/N: Still terrible with time and this is a crap chapter-- IT'LL BE BETTER NEXT CHAPTER.. (can't promise that actually--)

But! Thank you for tuning in for chapter two!

Upvotes, subscribes, and comments are much appreciated!

Xumin out!