Taeyang let his eyes flutter shut as fingers carded through his hair, accompanied by the heated air of a hair dryer. He absolutely loved having his hair blow dried, it always made him feel so pampered.

He sighed contentedly as he leaned back against the warm body behind him, half-laid down, an arm snaking around his shoulders as the hairdryer was shut off.

"You look weird with such dark hair." A voice mumbled against his newly dyed locks. "I don't like it."

Taeyang half-laughed, as if he hadn't had dark hair for most of the time they'd known each other. Hojoon had always preferred him blonde, though.

"I don't really have a choice."

"You could stay."

Taeyang sighed again. He didn't know how many times they had been through this.

"Joon, I can't. I need to do this."

Another arm wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him into a tight hug.

"You can put it off another year, you're only twenty-seven."

"Only?" Taeyang scoffed, fingers coming up to meet Hojoon's, right around his sternum. "You usually make fun of me for being so old."

Hojoon hummed. He loved that Taeyang always tried to lighten the mood with dumb jokes, but he couldn't even laugh at those right now.

"You're only like a year older than me. Can't you just wait...maybe we could go together."

He hated hearing Hojoon's voice so small. He wasn't exactly the loudest of people, even when he was ecstatic, but this made his heart sink. He could hear the wavering of his boyfriends voice and he couldn't bear it. Hojoon had already cried so much over this.

Taeyang shifted so he was on his side, urging Hojoon to lean back against the sofa so he could fully nuzzle into the youngers hoodie. Hojoon's legs parted so he could slot in perfectly, like he belonged there. Which he did, really.

"Joon...you have so much ahead of you. I don't. Wh-"

"Do I?"

Taeyang dared to look up at Hojoon for the first time since they had settled back down in the living room. He looked so...lost. He knew it was hard for him at the moment, for all of them. The not knowing was killing them. Not knowing who was even still a part of the group, not knowing if they'd ever come back. It was the main reason Taeyang had left, all of the uncertainty was killing him.

Hojoon was the only reason he stayed so long.

Hojoon wasn't the biggest character. He wasn't exactly shy and retiring, but compared to the rest of the group, he came off as more withdrawn. Tended to get overshadowed.

But Taeyang knew he wasn't like that at all. When the cameras were off, when it was just the two of them, he couldn't get Hojoon to shut up. The younger would ramble on about something or other, even when they were trying to watch a movie Taeyang had trouble keeping up with the plot because Hojoon would ask him so many questions about what was going on.

He was stubborn, blunt and moody. But that's what Taeyang loved about him. His dry sense of humour that no one else seemed to get. His resting face that would always crack into a crescent eyed grin whenever Taeyang was around. The way he would huff and pout until he got what he wanted. Taeyang honestly found it endearing, it was what had drawn him to Hojoon in the first place. He didn't need to be loud and vibrant and playing up to the cameras to catch Taeyang's eye.

He was also unnaturally kind, sacrificing his lines in songs for others, always there as a shoulder to cry on for the other members, offering up his bed for anyone who had fallen out with their roommate - though, that was probably more of an excuse for him to slide in with Taeyang than genuine kindness.

"Of course you do, you have the band."

Hojoon didn't seem to respond, just rested his head on top of Taeyang's, lips pressing a soft kiss to his hair. It smelled like dye and coconut conditioner. Something made his heart twist - probably the fact it didn't smell like Taeyang.

A soothing mixture of menthol, tabacco, coffee and that vanilla shampoo he always used. He made a mental note to start using it after Taeyang left. Most people would be put off by that concoction, but to Hojoon, it smelled like home. Made him feel warm inside. How was he going to cope without that? Maybe he'd have to start smoking again.

"I don't even know if there is a band anymore. Sometimes...I wish I'd just left with you."

"Don't say that, Joon, you love it, y-"

"I mean it. We could just be out there, living like normal people. Instead of...this. I feel like my career is over and our lives are so far apart, and it's going to be even worse when you go." Hojoon's breath hitched, causing him to hiccup. Great. He was crying again.

"Baby..." Taeyang sat up, twisting himself around in his position between Hojoon's legs, legs crossing underneath himself and arms wrapping around the younger to bring him into a tight hug. "It's not over, you don't know that. You've been doing so well, you're like main vocal now." He smiled to himself, remembering how overwhelmingly proud he was when he listened to their last album, of how far Hojoon had come.

Hojoon practically whimpered in his boyfriends arms, nuzzling into Taeyang's neck in an attempt to stop his tears from falling. He knew that. He knew he'd gone from having one line per song to being up there with Sangdo. And he also knew that was massively thanks to Taeyang. Being one of their main songwriters, he would always recommend Hojoon to sing certain parts, ending up in him getting more lines.

But he couldn't help feeling like it was all over. It had been nine months since their last comeback. This was their third hiatus in three and a half years. He didn't even really know what most of the members were up to.

Everything felt like it was falling apart. Again.

Taeyang leaving was a huge blow to him. He knew it was coming, they had talked about it over and over. There were tears, arguments. It almost broke them up. But Hojoon knew it would have been selfish to make Taeyang stay. He wasn't happy. Idol life just wasn't for him. He had to let him go.

But this felt different.

Taeyang enlisting wasn't something that was going to make him happy. Hojoon knew fine well that he would hate it. His prissy little boyfriend that liked to act all badass with his provocative lyrics and drinking benders was actually the biggest princess he had ever met.

Taeyang craved attention. Even after leaving the group he would still show up at their apartment on a regular basis just for cuddles and compliments from the members. Hojoon honestly had no idea how he would cope without constantly being babied. He smiled to himself against Taeyang's neck, remembering all the times he had to spoonfeed the elder because he was so bad at using chopsticks he'd end up with food everywhere. Who would do that for him in the military?

Even though Hojoon was a year younger, he loved looking after his hyung. Despite coming off as independent, Taeyang was actually ridiculously clingy, and would avoid doing anything for himself if possible. Who would make his coffee exactly the way he liked it? Who would he cuddle into at night because regardless of the season, Taeyang was always cold. Who would nurse him back to health when he was ill and even more whiny and demanding than usual? Who would even be able to put up with him?

The idea of him being alone knocked him sick. He just wanted to be there for him. To look after him, make sure he was okay. What if this messed with his mental health? Seeing Taeyang like that last year had ruined him. He couldn't cope with the idea of Taeyang struggling alone.

And he wasn't sure he could cope without Taeyang either.

"I just...it's not the same without you. I miss you...and you're not even far away. I see you all the time, but now..."

"I know." Taeyang sighed, tears pricking at his own eyes. He knew how hard this was on Hojoon. It was hard on him too. He felt awful for leaving...again. "I miss you too. Every night when you're not here with me...I hate it. But I have to do this, Joon."

"No you don't!" Hojoon cried out, louder than expected as he sat up straight, looking Taeyang dead in the eye. "You can wait, Tae. You're not that old, you can wait."

Taeyang avoided Hojoon's gaze. He knew that. He did. He honestly didn't even want to do this. The early mornings. The training. The discipline. The two whole years away. The ing awful outfits. He couldn't think of anything worse, if he was being perfectly honest. It was his idea of hell. But he knew it had to come eventually and he just wanted to get it out of the way. The law had changed and now people could be picked at random to serve. He would much rather volunteer and choose when he entered the military than be forced at a time he wasn't ready.

"I know but...I just want it over and done with, Joon." He sighed, thumbing away a stray tear that was rolling down the youngers face. "Then I can get on with my life. I mean, it's not like I have a career or anything anymore. I might as well."

"You have me, though." Hojoon's voice was barely above a whisper, worries his voice was totally break if he spoke any louder.

"But...I'll always have you. Right?"

Hojoon laughed softly to himself. Of course he would. He could never leave Taeyang. Not after everything they'd been through. They weren't exactly the most conventional couple. They argued a lot, it was usually over little, pointless things, they were both stubborn and feisty and their opinions seemed to clash nore often than not, but they rarely had huge, groundbreaking arguments. Also, they were too smililar. The rest of the group took bets on how long it would take them to break up when they first got together, once they realised that generally, they were both pretty submissive in bed. It was a struggle at first, but they each learned how to act more dominant to please their partner. Hojoon couldn't even imagine being like that with anyone else. Taeyang always made him feel so at ease, not just in the bedroom but, well, always.

And he knew that no matter how far away Taeyang was, he would always be there for him. No matter what.

"Always."

"Good." Taeyang grinned, uncrossing his legs and stretching them out over Hojoon's, shuffling forwards so their bodies were flush against one another. Hojoon giggled at the weird position Taeyang had gotten them into. He was trapped between his boyfriends legs, his ankles loosely crossed at the small of Hojoon's back, ensuring he wasn't going anywhere. And Taeyang was trapped inbetween his. It was kind of cute, actually. "Cause I don't know what I'd do without you."

He leaned in to press a soft kiss to Hojoon's cheek. Then the other one. And a third to stop a free falling tear in its tracks.

"Plus, who else is going to send me y pin-up snaps?"

Hojoon threw his head back, laughing. Trust Taeyang. His hands found his way to his boyfriends waist, eyebrow quirking. "This isn't World War II, you know."

Taeyang shrugged. "So? You mean you're not going to write to me?" He pouted, slinging his arms over Hojoon's shoulders, toying with the hair at the back of his neck.

"Like, letters? Tae it's 2017."

"Don't you think it's romantic?"

"No. I think I'd rather hear from my boyfriend instantly so I know whether he's alive or not, instead of waiting for the mail man to come." Hojoon nipped at Taeyang's waist, making the elder whine. "Though, the mail guy at our place is pretty hot."

"I swear to god if you bang the mail man while I'm away."

"Tae. You're going to the military. With like, thousands of hot guys. I'm pretty sure I should be the one that's worried." Hojoon smirked. He trusted Taeyang, 100%. But he was so easy to wind up he couldn't help himself. "Especially considering you're such a ."

Taeyang gaped. Maybe he didn't love Hojoon's blunt nature after all. "Rude. You've way more than me."

"Hmmm, I don't think so, Tae. You'd for half a cigarette."

"I would no-!" Taeyang closed his mouth, the memories of that one night they had all went out together before debut flooding back. Before he and Hojoon were and item. "That was one time."

Hojoon laughed again, pulling Taeyang into a kiss. He couldn't stop himself, his boyfriend was just too adorable. This is how he wanted their last night together to be. Happy. He wanted to be smiling and laughing and kissing and cuddling and making love. Not crying.

"I love you so much, Kim Taeyang." He whispered against the elders plush lips as they parted, foreheads still touching. "And I will always wait for you."

"I love you too. Jeon Hojoon." Taeyang replied, sealing the declaration with another kiss on the lips. Because he did. He really did.

"So, you wanna take me to bed, Mr. Army Man?" Hojoon joked, knowing fine well Taeyang would despise the nickname as he on his boyfriends bottom lip, wiggling his hips against Taeyang's a little.

"Jesus Christ, if you ever call me that aga-"

He was cut off before he could even finish his sentence by yet another kiss. Hojoon just couldn't help himself. He wanted as much of Taeyang as he could get tonight.

"Shut up and make me scream your name. I want that sound drilled into your head before you go away."

Taeyang's eyebrows shot up under his fringe. He couldn't really say no to that. He practically jumped out of Hojoon's lap, pulling the younger up into his feet and wrapping his arms around his hips, in an attempt to pick him up. He just about managed, with Hojoon's legs tightly wrapped around his waist, clearly not trusting Taeyang not to drop him.

"Holy , you're heavy." Taeyang wheezed, barely making it six steps from the sofa before giving up carrying his boyfriend and having to put him down.

"No, you're just incredibly weak. And your lungs are terrible." He scooped Taeyang up, bridal style, much to the elders dismay. Well, he pretended to hate it, but Hojoon knew fine well he loved being doted on and being treated like the princess he was. "How the are you going to survive boot camps?"

"Boot camps?" Taeyang looked up at Hojoon, genuine confusion on his face as the dark haired boy carried him the rest of the way to the bedroom. "The are boot camps?"

Hojoon stopped dead in his tracks, almost dropping Taeyang. Not because he wasn't strong enough, but because he couldn't believe what an idiot his boyfriend was. He was Hojoon's idiot though.

"God help us all with someone like you in the military."