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It was a warm, cozy afternoon. With the spring breeze blowing softly from the west, tickling their hair into a flailing mess.
They are on the hill near the local planetarium, bodies stacked up on one another, under the big tree that protect them from the sun beam. It was their tryst, their go-to place whenever they want to run away from the pressuring reality of adulthood. Just the two of them.
“Hyun,” the raven-haired man called him dearly, shake the latter's body which was latched up onto him ever so tightly. But the boy on top of him didn't budge. Instead, he whines and pressed his face further onto the crook of his neck, lay his head on his shoulder blade.
Minho chuckled at the baby-like antics, let him stayed like that for a while before he calls him again.
The said man, Hyunjin, groaned and loosened his koala hug from the older. Slowly unlatching himself and look at Minho through his knitted eyebrow and jutted lips, “You interrupt my nap time.”
“My apologies, little one,” said the older with shushed tone as an attempt to calm the latter. Which Hyunjin's only response was a nod with a small smile perched across his face. It was pretty.
Hyunjin slip some of his hair to the back of his ear, turning his gaze solely on Minho. “Do you have something to say, hyung? Or do you want to complain and make me rolled down from your body because I'm heavy?”
The man in question narrowed his eyes, as if he's judging the other. “Ugh, yeah...? You're heavier than I thought, Hyunnie.”
Minho only burst into laughter when the younger was so ready to attack him [quite physically], encircling his arms around Hyunjin's waist to keep him in place. Hugging him tighter each seconds pass by. “Don't hit me! I actually have something bugging off my mind lately, and I want to vent it out to you.”
Hyunjin squirms a bit to make himself comfortable inside his embrace, lean his pillowy cheek on top of Minho's heartbeat. “Shoot. I'm listening.”
“What do you think of me, Hyunjin?”
A long silence tailing Minho's words, left his question unanswered after some time. Shit, he cursed inside. He should've keep his mouth shut and let Hyunjin sleep peacefully. A sudden rush of epinephrine swims inside his blood, pump his heartbeat faster as he was anxious; afraid that his curiosity will end badly.
Minho levelled his eyes with Hyunjin's, who's now looking at him with rounded eyes. Did I scare him?, he thought for a second.
“I said,.. what do you think of me?”
Hyunjin blinked. Then suddenly, his memory revealed itself.
They grew up together in the same neighbourhood, went through the highs and lows with each other by their side, even shared a timid kiss under the mistletoe. Minho was there to calm him when little Hyunjin was nervous for his first swimming competition. Hyunjin was there too, with handmade lunchbox in his hand, when Minho took the university entrance exam. He was sad when the older move out to another city for college, leaving him in this neighbourhood feeling lonely. But he turned his sadness into a motivation to study harder so he can go into the same university as Minho. Which he did.
All the small things that make them happy, the hardships they went through, everything was displayed in a short amount of time like a broken cassette. Hyunjin smiled to himself without him knowing, look at Minho who's laid out on the grass under him. He catches the latter's hopeful eyes and that's when he spilled what he felt.
“I once thought you were my brother.”
“Were?”
“Yeah, I just thought that maybe this is how it felt to have a brother. But at some point in our time, I felt like my feeling wasn't... brotherly? I need more, we need more.” Hyunjin paused, take a moment to look at him fondly. “You feel it too, right? That's why you ask me?”
Minho nodded attentively, and Hyunjin chuckles at that.
“This is one of the moments where I think we need a higher title than just a mere ~brother~”
It's time for Minho to cackles, “What are the other moments, though?”
“When you soothe me after a nightmare, when you ditch a day only to accompany me study, also that night when you thought that I'm asleep and stole a kiss from me.”
Minho gasps, “When I stole a kiss from you... it's... it was on our high school days!”
“Exactly.” Hyunjin pokes the tip of his nose, “I love you for that long already.”
The younger's blunt utterance makes him coos. Minho tightened his arms around Hyunjin's tiny waist, lean in to remove the distance between them. In this proximity, Minho can see the spark in his eyes, his often-go-unnoticed facial moles, and the balm-covered lips that make it look shinier. He was prettier than any stars in the sky combined.
Minho slip the blonde's baby hairs into his ear, framing Hyunjin's face with his palm so delicately. “I guess it's safe to say that we fall for each other in almost the same period. I love you for that long too.”
Hyunjin tilt his head aside, a hint of surprise evident in his eyes. “You... what?”
“I love you, Hyunjin. I really do.”
It took three seconds for Hyunjin's brain system to lag. Instead of saying the magic words back, he let out a series of “Whoa”s, “You must be kidding me!”, and a final “If you love me then why you always mess up with me!”
“I'm not messing up with you? It's how I express love!”
Hyunjin rolled his eyes playfully upon his lame excuse, “Whatever.”
Minho brush it off with a laugh. He holds the younger closer, caging him inside his bear-like hug. He shifts his gaze right into Hyunjin's sparkly ones. “So... are we a thing now?”
All Minho need is a nod, pretty smile, and a “Yeah, we're a thing now.” before he dive right into the younger to capture his soft lips with his own. Taking the time of their life to explore each other. They shared laughter between their kiss, found it funny how they kissed like a hungry teenager (which they were).
Minho is the first one to back out, cupped Hyunjin's face inside his palms and brush his thumb lightly over his cheekbones. All the fear he felt before now long gone. He absolutely did not regret asking the latter that single question. Curiousity may kill the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.
I wish I can confess my feelings sooner so I can love you longer, Hyunjin.