His eyes were red. They never were. They usually were all tiny because he kept on making bad jokes and laughing at them. They usually were prettily sparkling when he looked at him. But what seemed stranger than Yeonjun’s eyes being red was the fact that it was 8A.M. So, it was clear, Yeonjun had cried, probably a good part of the night if not the whole night, judging by the dark circles under his eyes. Soobin couldn’t stop himself from thinking that Yeonjun still looked as pretty as ever but he shook his head, reminding himself that his job as Yeonjun’s friend was to find out what’s wrong.

He approached him and put his hand on his shoulder.

“Hyung, are you okay?” he softly asked and Yeonjun looked up at him, his eyes sadder than he’s ever seen them.

“Why are you asking?” he asked back but he couldn’t stop his voice from trembling.

“Don’t avoid the question, hyung.” Soobin said, willing to know what happened to his favourite person in the world.

Yeonjun sighed, adverting his eyes and looking to somewhere behind Soobin.

“It’s just… there’s someone I’m in love with but they don’t love me back.” Yeonjun replied, his eyes welling up with tears once again.

Soobin felt his heart constrict for a second but he ignored it, trying to focus on Yeonjun and not on how heart breaking it was to hear Yeonjun say he loved someone who’s not him.

“How can you know they don’t love you back?” Soobin asked, smiling sweetly to try to cheer Yeonjun up somehow.

Yeonjun stared right into his eyes and Soobin got both scared and sad for a second before Yeonjun adverted his eyes again.

“I just know it. I gotta go.” Yeonjun replied, his voice breaking at the end and a tear rolling down his cheek as he walked away from Soobin.

Soobin stood in the middle of the almost empty corridor, like a fool, feeling like crying too.

 

“How the is he so oblivious? I can’t be more obvious than telling him I love him, can I?” Yeonjun asked Taehyun, tears he didn’t know he had rolling down his cheeks.

“I think the last resort would be to just kiss him right then and there.” Taehyun joked, trying to lift Yeonjun’s spirits up.

“I’m sure he’ll find a way to make it a friendly kiss. Two days ago when I told him I loved him he told me I was the best friend he ever had and that he loved me too.” Yeonjun said, hiccupping, more tears flowing down.

Taehyun put his hand on Yeonjun’s shoulder, hesitating about hugging him or not. He had known everything would be about Soobin when he agreed to come to Yeonjun’s house but no matter how long he tried to mentally ready himself, it was still painful to see the older cry.

“What’s even worse is that it’s not even crying that keeps me up all night, it’s just thinking of him. It makes me both sad and happy because I love him so much. I feel like ing dying but every time I think like that, I tell myself that if I die, I won’t be able to see him again.”

Beginning to full-on sob, Yeonjun brought Taehyun closer and hugged him. Taehyun let him, throwing his arms around him, drawing random patterns on his back to calm him down.

Taehyun disliked Soobin so much when he dealt with this Yeonjun. Taehyun knew how much Yeonjun loved Soobin but no one knew if Soobin loved Yeonjun in the same way. No one but Soobin himself. But he never talked about it, never told anyone he had a crush on someone and he excelled at hiding his feelings.

“Hyung, I know you don’t like hearing this but maybe he isn’t worth any of this. He isn’t worth all these tears, sleepless nights nor does he deserve your love.” Taehyun said, detaching himself from Yeonjun.

“If only it was so easy to stop loving someone. But the thing is you say that but I don’t agree. He is worth everything and so much more, if I could give him the world, I would. You know how it is to love someone so much it hurts.” Yeonjun stated and Taehyun was left speechless.

Indeed, Taehyun knew that feeling. He felt it every time he looked at HueningKai, who was now his boyfriend. It took them a long time to get together but they were now as happy as ever and communication was the most important thing in their relationship. Unfortunately, that was what Soobin and Yeonjun lacked.

“You know, I had enough.” Taehyung determinedly said, getting up. “Dry those tears, freshen up and ing come with me.”

“Where to?”

“We’re going to Soobin’s house and you’ll tell him everything about how you feel. If he still doesn’t get it, you’ll do everything to get rid of your feelings. Understood?”

“But it’s 7P.M!”

“Understood?” Taehyung repeated and Yeonjun nodded.

 

Soobin was supposed to do his homeworks but he kept getting side-tracked. He kept thinking about Yeonjun and the fool who probably wasn’t worth his precious tears. If only he was a bit bolder and had the courage to tell Yeonjun how he felt. He’s been in love with him for so long already, he couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment when his platonic love turned into romantic love. Was it when he saw Yeonjun dance for the first time? Or when they met again after Yeonjun had been away for a whole month during the holidays? Maybe it was that day Yeonjun walked up to him and greeted him ‘Good morning!’ with the brightest smile on his face? Soobin didn’t know when it happened but he knew he was in love with his closest friend.

Just as he was thinking this, someone knocked on his door. He got up to open the door and was met with his mom.

“You have a visitor, dear. Do I let them go up?”

Soobin nodded, wondering who would come see him so late in the evening. He heard someone come up the stairs and his heart stopped when Yeonjun stopped in front of him, staring into his eyes.

Yeonjun’s eyes were still red but less than they had been in the morning and, once again, Soobin couldn’t help but notice how pretty he looked.

“Can I come in?” Yeonjun asked, his voice almost inaudible.

Soobin nodded, taking a step to the side so Yeonjun could enter his room.

Yeonjun had been in Soobin’s room countless times but Soobin sensed that something was different today. There was some kind of tension in the air but he didn’t know if it was a bad of good kind of tension – whatever that meant for him.

Yeonjun sat on his bed and Soobin closed the door, staring back at Yeonjun, his back to the door.

“Aren’t you going to sit with me?”

“I’ll just stand here if it’s okay with you.” Soobin replied, leaning on the door more.

They stayed in silence for some moments until Yeonjun spoke.

“Look, I know it’s late but–”

“Who is it?” Soobin cut him, unable to hold back anymore.

“What?” Yeonjun asked, confused.

“Who is it that you like? Do I know them?” Soobin asked again and Yeonjun stayed silent. Soobin waited but when Yeonjun didn’t speak, he went on. “In fact, it doesn’t matter who they are. I’m sure they don’t deserve your tears.” He said and Yeonjun looked away.

“You’re the stupidest boy I’ve ever met.” Yeonjun said before looking back at him.

Soobin was relieved to see he looked less sad but noticed he looked furious instead.

“You also are the most oblivious guy I’ve met and that’s something because how many times to I have to tell you I love you before you actually get it?” he asked, getting up and walking closer to Soobin.

They were now chest to chest and Soobin could smell Yeonjun’s lavender-scented shampoo he liked so much.

“I love you, Choi Soobin. I love you so much I’m pretty sure my heart bursts every time I lay my eyes on you, every time I feel you beside me, every time to you touch me, every time you talk to me. And when I say I love you I mean as more than a friend. I love you as a man, as someone who means the world to me and I ing hope you got the message now because I do believe you’re worth every single tear I shed.”

Oh, Soobin thought. I’m the one Yeonjun hyung loves. Well, that’s a piece of luck because I love him too.

Soobin never felt dumber in his whole life. He hadn’t lived much but he believed he couldn’t get more stupid than right now.

“I love you too.” He simply said – more like blurted in fact. “And I mean it the same way as you do. As more than a friend, as my favourite person in the world. But I still think I don’t deserve any of your tears. I also am sorry you cried because of me.” Soobin said, starting to ramble.

“Shut up, you idiot.” Yeonjun said before everything went black.

The only thing Soobin remembered when he came back to his senses – at least it felt like that – was Yeonjun kissing him. All his senses woke up one by one and he could firstly feel Yeonjun’s lips on his, then one of his hands on his nape, the other on his waist. Thirdly, he could smell Yeonjun’s shampoo stronger and could also taste some salt on his tongue. When they broke apart to breathe, he opened his eyes and could see that Yeonjun was once more crying but wearing a wide smile on his face.

“Took you long enough, Soobin-ah.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. You can make it up to me by becoming my boyfriend.” Yeonjun said, sassy.

“I gladly will be your boyfriend, hyung. I love you.”

“I love you too.”