I find myself stirring awake into the early morning, blinking blearily as the light hits my eyes, blinding me for a fleeting moment. Making a motion to move my arm, a wave of surprise washes over me as I find a protective weight resting on my body, holding me close.

Suddenly, the warm embrace surrounding me finally registers, and I let out a small chuckle as you stir behind me, still not awakening just yet. Memories of last night flash through my mind, and the warmth engulfing me circles in closer, concentrating in the pit of my stomach.

I can remember it all as clearly as it had occurred-- your stuttering confession, the way your cheeks tinted red when you became frustrated because the right words just weren't coming out, how I had beamed up at you and said, “I love you too.” You’d become a stuttering mess at that point, muttering some nonsense about not deserving me, and I had been quick to silence you with a kiss.

“You don't know what I see when I look at you,” I had murmured against your lips, caressing your cheek. You had shuddered, pushing closer to me. “You think too little of yourself, Seul, but that's okay. We’ll work on it together.”

I turn around in your embrace, coming face-to-face with your peaceful expression, so different from last night when you looked more nervous than that time you were asked to stay behind at the company building on your own for an extra hour of dance practice during our trainee days. Now, you look as peaceful as a sleeping child-- I wish I could keep that expression on your face always.

I wish for a lot of things, though, a good amount have to do with you: I wish you would give yourself a bit more benefit and less doubt. I wish you wouldn't be afraid to eat more. I wish you could take criticism less harshly. I wish you could see what I see in you.

Because oh, Seulgi, you have no idea how I look at you, what power you hold!

Perhaps when I listen to you speak, I can see a hundred billion galaxies forming. And in the wake of your breath, the planets form before me. Every burning star is of your beauty, every glimmer of a comet is for you. I'd pluck Saturn’s ring from the sky, present it to you in a velvet box as I look up at you with one knee on the ground if I could.

And maybe when you speak, a hundred billion creatures catch their breath to listen, never in vain, no sound falling empty or void. All the skies we pass - how many have we seen together now? Enough to last us lifetimes, probably - painted reds and blues and golds in their brilliance, all are canvases for your words.

But I know that when you speak, a hundred billion failures disappear, like when the heavens and earth touched in an unforeseen kiss. In your flawed yet flawless, improvised, and beautiful piece of artwork called “love,” I can see myself being covered in all the colors, surrounded by you, engulfed by you.

I am yours, and I know that maybe you can’t see what I see in you just yet, but that's fine. We’ve had a hundred billion moments together by now, we can go a couple billion more, right? And if down the line my words to you fall short of the sum of everything you mean to me, then I’ll sing again a hundred billion times.

Humming to myself, I encircle my arms around your waist without further thought. How I managed to deserve you, who knows? Nevertheless, something tells me that you'll be just as eager as me to show me how, especially with the way your eyes blink open as the rising outside slowly gets higher and higher in the sky.

“Morning, babe,” you say groggily, burying your face into my neck. “Sleep well?”

“Best sleep that I’ve had in awhile,” I admit with a small smile.

“Same here,” you agree, peppering my shoulder and collarbone with kisses. “You’re a great teddy bear, Hyun. I even had dreams!”

“What did you dream of?”

“Oh,” your voice takes on a wistful, dreamy tone, “just of visiting Mars. Can we go there one day, Hyun?”

“Of course,” I say without a hitch. “We’ll find a hundred billion ways to get there and beyond, Seul.”

End.