When Eunhyuk's arms wrapped around Yesung's waist while they were chilling in the waiting room, the latter paid it no mind, already used to this kind of thing.

Since they were preparing for a shoot in a popular variety show, all the members of Super Junior were leisurely chatting with each other in the room while some were in their own little world, like Kyuhyun who was playing games on his laptop and Heechul browsing through his phone. Yesung, on the other hand, was checking the news online, standing near one of the tables that provided snacks for them. He had heard casual footsteps approaching him from behind, and that was when he felt Eunhyuk hugging him. As to how Yesung knew that it was him, he didn't know, but he just had a feeling.

Sometimes, Yesung wondered why the younger boy was acting like this to him recently. In the past few years, Yesung had actually been the one who initiated the skinship between them, finding his dongsaeng adorable despite the latter teasing him needlessly and annoyingly. Eunhyuk rarely touched Yesung first, mostly because he preferred to tease his hyung using the words coming out of his lips. That was fine, since Yesung relished the mock-irritated expressions on Eunhyuk's face whenever he hugged him, the latter often "asking for help" from Donghae whenever he did this. Yesung liked this kind of Tom-and-Jerry relationship between them; it was how they bonded, how they became much closer to each other. Even if Yesung often got annoyed, Eunhyuk knew that his hyung never took the jokes seriously. It was how much he loved him.

"What is it, Hyukjae-ya?" Yesung inquired, seemingly still focused on his phone. However, he was curious as to why his dongsaeng was being unnaturally quiet, which was why he referred to him with his real name.

Eunhyuk was still silent, but Yesung could feel his arms tightening their grip on his waist. With that response he received, Yesung whirled his head towards the younger, his eyes glimmering with worry. "What's wrong?" he asked softly. "Are you nervous?"

Eunhyuk wasn't even looking at him. His head was buried against Yesung's back, refusing to acknowledge his hyung's gaze. That only worried Yesung further.

"Eunhyuk-ah?" he prodded, his gaze insistent as he tried for a different tone, silentlg urging the younger to look at him in the eyes. For a brief moment, Yesung's eyes darted across his surroundings, trying to see if any of their members noticed Eunhyuk's slightly odd behavior. Unfortunately, it seemed that all of them were still in their own little world. Kyuhyun was still focused on his laptop, but now Siwon and Ryeowook were looking at the screen as well, looking immersed in Kyuhyun's battles with his opponent. Leeteuk was discussing something with the PD, Shindong by his side providing additional comments. Heechul, on the other hand, was busy taking selcas of him and Donghae on his phone.

Hesitantly, Yesung lifted a hand and let it rest on Eunhyuk's head, his fingers running through the younger's dark hair. Eunhyuk didn't seem to respond to the touch, although Yesung noticed his shoulders stiffen when he made contact.

Yesung didn't say anything, only continuing to caress the top of Eunhyuk's head. He figured that it would be better to give the younger a bit more time; he didn’t mind being patient. They still had thirty minutes before the shoot, so none of them were in a hurry.

After what seemed like an eternity, Eunhyuk finally spoke up, his voice small and soft.

“I missed you, hyung.”

-;-

Eunhyuk could tell that Yesung was looking at him with a surprised expression on his face. Eunhyuk knew that Yesung couldn’t have possibly noticed anything, anyway, because Eunhyuk was the one who was aware of everything down to the tiniest detail.

“What are you talking about, Hyukjae-ya?” Yesung exclaimed.

Eunhyuk didn’t answer right away.

His mind slowly wandered back to the past few months with s. They had been so busy for their comeback, promoting their new album on shows and performing them on multiple stages. Their sudden busier schedule after all nine of the members finally finished their military service left them with always having something to do. While Leeteuk welcomed it, being a workaholic and preferring to have something to keep his mind and body busy, Eunhyuk was torn in between exhaustion and excitement. He loved being able to be with the other members again; he felt hyped, but due to the amount of work he currently had, sometimes he had to force himself to seem happy for the sake of his fans as well as his bandmates. He didn’t regret it though; everything was going to be worth it in the end.

However, it seemed that due to their hectic workloads, Yesung hadn’t been talking to him.

Not intentionally, of course. Eunhyuk had noticed that Yesung was practicing his voice more often and going on another diet. He was also working hard to master the new dance moves for their upcoming performances and super show. Yesung had been talking to Ryeowook and Kyuhyun more often, probably planning another KRY album, and Eunhyuk hadn’t been teasing him lately because he was busy, too, with choreography and directing along with Shindong.

Eunhyuk hadn't expected it, but he became aware of the fact that he missed messing with his hyung. He missed the latter's touches, too.

He wanted that attention once more.

"I haven't been teasing you a lot lately, hyung," Eunhyuk finally answered, making his tone a lot lighter than normal. "I missed you."

There was a pregnant pause for a moment before Eunhyuk felt Yesung's shoulders shake a little and the sound of chuckling escaping the older man's lips. Eunhyuk liked hearing his hyung's laugh even though he never mentioned it to the man. There was just something contagious about it and he wanted to hear it a lot often.

Suddenly, Eunhyuk felt a strong pair of arms embracing and pulling him closer. Yesung had apparently shifted his position so that he was facing the younger and now Eunhyuk was being trapped in an affectionate hug.

"Why can't you always be this cute?" Yesung remarked playfully, squeezing his dongsaeng to his chest and earning him a weak muffle of protest.

"Ahh, hyung~!" Eunhyuk said, squirming a little in embarrassment. "Don't treat me like a kid."

Yesung ruffled his hair, still chuckling. "But you are a kid," he teased. "To me, at least."

Eunhyuk pulled away, pouting. "Hyung, we should have dinner together later!"

Yesung blinked, still taken aback by Eunhyuk's rather odd, clingy behavior. "Well… I'm meeting my little brother later…" He saw the disappointed gleam in Eunhyuk's eyes and couldn't contain a smile. "Okay, okay, I got it," he said soothingly, placing an arm around his dongsaeng's shoulders. "We'll have dinner together later, just the two of us."

Eunhyuk's expression visibly brightened. "Really?"

Yesung laughed again. "Yeah, really! Seriously, why are you suddenly acting like this?" he asked curiously. "Is this a hidden camera prank or something?"

Eunhyuk laughed. It was like music to Yesung's ears. "I just missed you, hyung! See you later, all right?"

At that moment, their manager called them. It was time for the shooting to start.

-;-

Yesung couldn't stop himself from smiling continuously as he slung his bag over his shoulder. Their shoot had ended just now and they were currently going to their respective vans. Leeteuk, Heechul, Kyuhyun, and Shindong still had a few schedules left for the night while the rest were permitted to go home and rest. He and Ryeowook were supposed to share a van, but the latter was dragged along by Donghae and Siwon who wanted to eat out at a new luxury restaurant they'd eagerly wanted to go to. Apparently, Eunhyuk had told them of his and Yesung's plans together since he was walking beside Yesung towards his van. Yesung was internally glad that Ryeowook and the others, especially Donghae, didn't ask questions as to why he and Eunhyuk were suddenly spending time together. He didn't feel like it was the right time to receive their usual teasings, so he was grateful towards Siwon who had successfully distracted the two by declaring that the expensive dinner was going to be on his tab.

"Hyung, where are we gonna eat?" Eunhyuk asked him excitedly as they adjusted themselves inside the van.

"Well, where do you want to go?" Yesung inquired, knowing better not to mention cafés to his dongsaeng since the latter didn't seem fond of them.

However, Eunhyuk was proving to be a surprise to him today. "Let's go to that cute café you've been frequenting lately!" he suggested with a grin. "The pictures you posted on SNS were really pretty shots of the place!"

"Oh?" Yesung said, surprised. "I thought you didn't like cafés?"

"I don't mind going to one today as long as I'm with hyung," Eunhyuk said casually as he whipped out his phone and started fiddling with it.

Yesung could only stare at him, if only for a brief moment. Well, this is new, he thought to himself in amusement as he shook his head at his dongsaeng's sudden eagerness to spend time with him. Usually, I'm the one who has to force him to keep me company. And now…

When they arrived at their destination, Yesung was about to get out of the car when he suddenly felt his arm being gripped, and the next thing he knew, he was being pulled to Eunhyuk’s side as the latter positioned his phone in front of them.

“Yesung-hyung, let’s take a selca!” Eunhyuk said cheerfully, his smile crinkling the corner of his eyes. He looked like a happy kid at that moment, much to Yesung’s amusement.

“Okay, okay,” Yesung agreed mildly, still caught off-guard by Eunhyuk’s rather strange, clingy behavior. And usually I’m the one who has to force him to take a selca with me… how ironic.

I wonder, Yesung thought to himself as they both got out of the car, how long has it been since I’ve last interacted with Hyukjae?

It hadn’t been intentional, of course. Yesung had been happy to have KRY back, and he’d been doting on Kyuhyun a lot ever since he was discharged from the military, much to the latter’s slight displeasure. Yesung had always been attached to his dongsaengs and wanted to spend time with them more, so he hadn’t realized that, aside from during their practice times and brief cheering before performances, he was actually ignoring Eunhyuk, the one whom he’d been close to back when they had their Black Suit and Lo Siento comebacks. He could even recall spending time with Donghae as they conversed often during plane trips. With Eunhyuk, however, he couldn’t even remember a time when he playfully wrapped his arm around the younger’s shoulders as he always did.

I think I made him feel lonely during those times, Yesung thought to himself, feeling both bittersweet and amused at the same time. I’m a bad hyung for not paying attention to my cute little dongsaeng.

As they settled in the café, waiting for their orders — surprisingly, Eunhyuk had asked Yesung about possibly every dish on the menu, to which the latter gladly obliged — Yesung took this opportunity to clear his head of unanswered questions.

"So, Eunhyuk-ah," Yesung began, his lips curving into a soft yet playful smile, "you missed hyung so much, didn't you? I never knew you could express your hidden love for me this way." he teased.

Eunhyuk's head shot up from his phone. "A—Ah…" he stammered, something which was unlike him. "Y—Yeah, hyung… That's right..."

Yesung's brows shot up to his hairline in shock. Not only was his prideful (whenever it came to him, of course) dongsaeng blushing, he was also basically agreeing with what Yesung said. Yesung had only meant it as a joke, as an icebreaker to ask Eunhyuk about how he'd been doing lately and that he was sorry they hadn't spent much time together lately since their latest comeback.

But he had never actually expected Eunhyuk to admit to it instead of his usual denial phrases or playfulness.

Yesung studied his dongsaeng’s face carefully, his brows furrowed in concentration.

Eunhyuk shifted in his seat uncomfortably. “Wh—What?” he spoke up, sounding oddly nervous. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Hm, so I guess you haven’t lost your informal speech with me after all. You were starting to freak me out.” Yesung laughed, his deep voice filling in the silence that had been there between them.

“What’re you talking about, hyung?” Eunhyuk pouted, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “Aren’t you happy that we’re finally spending time together like this?”

Yesung was slightly taken aback by the sudden seriousness of his tone. “Well… it’s just that…” he chose his words carefully. “You don’t usually act like this, Hyukjae-ya. Is there something I’m missing here?”

“Hyung, why are you acting so suspicious?” To Yesung’s surprise, Eunhyuk sounded hurt. “I just want to spend time with you. I missed you... a lot.” Eunhyuk leaned closer to him, his gaze imploring. “You missed me too, right, hyung?”

The underlying hope in Eunhyuk’s tone stabbed Yesung in the heart and guilt seeped into his chest. Eunhyuk was right; why should Yesung even be questioning his dongsaeng’s intentions with him? He and Eunhyuk had always gotten along well with each other despite their constant bickerings, despite their opposite personalities. If he felt like he was seeing a new side of Eunhyuk today, then perhaps he wasn’t spending enough time with him lately. The thought of it made Yesung feel even more guilty.

“Yah, of course I missed you too, idiot," Yesung told him affectionately, leaning across the table and ruffling Eunhyuk's fluffy brown hair. It used to be neon green a while back when they were first promoting Super Clap, but afterwards Eunhyuk removed the dye and decided not to color his hair anymore. At least, not anytime soon. His strands were damaged already due to too much coloring and he had to care more for it now.

Eunhyuk grinned, looking happy even as Yesung retracted his hand back to his side. "I knew you couldn't resist me, hyung," he boasted teasingly.

"Yep. I'm always the one who clings to you and forces you to spend time with me," Yesung said, chuckling as he poured more tea to his almost empty cup.

Suddenly, the atmosphere between them turned silent. Puzzled, Yesung placed the tea holder back in place and glanced at Eunhyuk, who seemed to be averting his gaze a bit shamefully.

"Hyukjae-ya?" Yesung questioned. "What's wrong? Did hyung say something embarrassing again?" he joked a bit, trying to lighten up the air.

To his surprise, Eunhyuk shook his head and looked him in the eyes. "I'm sorry, hyung," he said quietly. "...I always pushed you away and teased you too much, didn't I? I'm sorry… I won't do that to you ever again."

Startled, Yesung shook his head, confusion stirring in his chest. "Eh?! Wh—What are you talking about, Hyukjae-ya?" he said in shock. "Yah, what happened to you? We're family, aren't we?? That kind of thing is normal; just because you love teasing me too much doesn't mean that I thought any less of you," Yesung said seriously, his eyes unconsciously narrowing as they intensified their gaze on Eunhyuk. "I love you. That's never going to change. All right?"

Eunhyuk stared at him for a moment, his lips parted slightly. He looked a bit dazed.

Yesung tilted his head slightly, curious as to why his usually talkative dongsaeng wasn't saying anything in response. "Hyukjae-ya?" he said softly, reaching out to take Eunhyuk's hand in his as a gesture of comfort.

However, Eunhyuk beat him to it and gently laced their fingers together, his usual gummy smile suddenly seeming to brighten up the whole room.

"I love you too, hyung," he said sincerely.

Yesung flushed, not used to hearing those kinds of words from his dongsaeng's lips. "All right, all right, let's stop this and finish our tea," he halted with a smile. "I know you don't like cheesy talks like this." He then proceeded to retract his hand from Eunhyuk's grasp.

However, the latter was still holding onto him tightly, even with just one hand. "Hyung," he said, his tone suddenly low and deep, "you do know that the kind of love I meant is a different kind, right?"

Yesung blinked, confused. "What?" What's he talking about now?

"I said," Eunhyuk repeated patiently, "you do know—"

However, Yesung's eyes suddenly caught someone coming inside the café. It was Leeteuk and Heechul — wait, what?! Since when did those two come to cafés together? And in disguises, no less! Even though they hid their faces with masks and hoodies and sunglasses, Yesung could recognize them as clear as day. They weren't together for more than 17 years since trainee days for nothing, after all.

"—different, right?" Eunhyuk was saying.

Yesung snapped out of his quick trance and rapidly let his gaze rest on Eunhyuk. Guilt again seeped into his chest as he realized that he'd been too distracted to pay attention to what Eunhyuk had been saying.

Deciding to play it safe so he wouldn't hurt Eunhyuk's feelings, Yesung responded, "Yeah, of course, Hyuk-ah."

Eunhyuk's eyes suddenly shone with shock and delight. "R—Really, hyung?! Th—Then… does that mean y—you…"

Yesung was so confused now. Had he missed something important? Maybe he shouldn't have pretended, after all. This seemed like it could have ugly consequences in the end. "Uh… Hyuk-ah—"

But Eunhyuk carried on as if he weren't speaking, "I—I never thought — wah, I was so surprised! My heart was beating so fast I thought it was gonna burst out of my ribcage!" he exclaimed almost dramatically, pressing his palm against his chest. "I—I never knew… you cared about me as well…" he finished shyly, blushing.

Yesung blinked, then laughed, leaning over to ruffle his dongsaeng's hair. "Silly. Of course I care about you. What made you think otherwise?" he said fondly. "You're always so cute whenever you're like this."

Eunhyuk stared at him in amazement. “Wow, hyung… you’re so calm about all this.”

“Huh? Why wouldn’t I be?” Yesung grinned. “I don’t mind telling and showing you how special you are to me.”

The rest of the day went by with Eunhyuk blushing furiously while Yesung gave him the occasional teasing remarks. He also didn’t forget to file away the sight of Leeteuk and Heechul inside his mind so that he’d remember to ask them about it later.