✓One Sided || Stray Kids Hyunsung (Hyunjin x Han)

XXVI || Listening to You

 I nuzzled my face deep into the crook of his neck, my emotions completely out of control, my hands clawing themselves into the fabric of his hoodie, holding onto his body as if he would disappear any moment. As if when I would open my eyes again, I would wake up in my small old room again, far away from him, completely alone. Just me in the dark.

It took me quite a long time to calm down, for my shoulders to stop shaking, for my sobs to ebb off. Not a single moment did he loosen his hug, he didn't pull away. He waited. If I wouldn't move he wouldn't move. He had stayed with me until the last tear had fallen, his hand caressing the back of my head more gently than ever before. Then I slowly raised my head again, his touch stopping as I sloppily wiped my face with my sleeves.

‚Hyunjin-ah...' I said, my voice still unstable. He separated just enough to be able to look at me. ‚I actually wanted to say... thank you for making me happy... thank you for being the one by my side... for loving me... but it just went through with me...' I wasn't sure if I was laughing or still crying. Maybe both.

He pulled down his sleeve, then -with his sleeve paw- patted gently along my eyes and over my cheeks, soaking up all the tears I had missed to wipe away.

‚If I shouldn't apologise to you then you shouldn't thank me..' He said in a calming voice. ‚We should both stick to something we can both say... words that are the same for me as well as for you..'

My smile returned again, my hand reaching up to his cheek, my thumb slightly brushing over his bottom lip. ‚You mean like... I love you?'

‚Yeah.. that would fit..' He also smiled again. ‚I love you, Jisung-ah.'

‚I love you too, Hyunjin-ah.' He put his hand on top of mine, before placing a soft kiss into my palm.

‚Are you hungry?' I asked getting up from the ground, offering him my hand. ‚Should we visit Halmeoni? She said she wanted to see us both some time again..'

He nodded, his smile returning as well as he took my hand. ‚Sounds nice.'

———

‚Halmeoni!' I waved at her from afar. Her stall was built up at the same place as each and every day. We had become really close to her.. sometimes I felt like she was my real Halmeoni. More than sometimes. It was because she really treated us like that. When she looked in my direction, a wide smile spread on her lips, as if her long lost grandsons were visiting her.

‚Han-ah, it's been so long.' She greeted me warmly.

‚I know .. School had been really busy..' I said, as her eyes fell on Hyunjin behind me. How long has it been since she saw him? Usually it had been only me getting the Tteokbokki for us. The last time we were visiting her stall together, was already a long time ago. I think it was even before I had moved. Whenever I've visited her, she had asked about him, if he was well and eating every meal. Afterwards she would ask me the same questions. It seemed, she was sincerely worrying about us. Like family.

‚Hyunjin-ah, it's so nice to see you again. Let me look at you.. You look like you've grown, since I've seen you last time.' He returned her smile, walking up next to me. Thanks for mentioning that.. I know he's tall. ‚Come come, sit down, you must be hungry. You both got too thin.. look at you, barely any meat on those bones.' She nagged, but in a friendly way.

We each sat on one of the high stools in front of her stall, while she put down bowls and chopsticks on the small counter in front of us. Instead of giving us each a portion of the spicy rice cakes, she put one big portion of it in the center. We have never told her, but I was very sure she already knew that we were a couple. The way she always asked one about the other, as if checking if our relationship was still fine. She just had to know. It's Halmeoni senses.. those are never wrong.