love you later | yeonbin ✓

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At first, it's only his own heartbeat that he can feel trembling, stumbling over itself before easing into a normal pattern. It's close to stopping when he can't find Yeonjun's, but then-

There. It's faint, but it's there. Yeonjun's pulse flickering against Soobin's fingers. He leans forward until he's hovering over Yeonjun's face, and it's not until he hears and feels the slightest hint of Yeonjun's steady breathing that he feels like the ropes around his chest loosen and let him breathe as well.

He lets out a sigh of relief as he sits back up, his hand coming to cup Yeonjun's face. His skin is warm, a little flushed, and there's a trickle of sweat near his brow that Soobin wipes away carefully. He's not quite sure if he's imagining it, but he could swear Yeonjun's eyelids flutter for a second. Still, he doesn't open them. Something is clearly wrong, but Soobin breathes a little easier knowing that Yeonjun is alive at least.

"Why are you doing this to me?" he whispers as he runs his fingers across the pink apples of Yeonjun's cheeks. "You said you'd make sure nothing would happen to me. But what about you, hm?"

It's a question Soobin has been asking himself way too often recently. One he has never dared to utter out loud, especially not in front of Yeonjun.

The floor is hard and uncomfortable, and starts to hurt Soobin's knees all too soon. He hadn't realized how hard he had dropped onto them just minutes ago, and they crack a little when he slips his arms underneath Yeonjun's body and stands up.

It's a little difficult to carry Yeonjun up the small staircase, to move him around without bumping into any corners of walls and furniture but he makes it, pushing the door to Yeonjun's room open with his foot. The bed is made, something Yeonjun must have done earlier while getting ready and it seems ridiculous to Soobin that just hours ago he had woken up in the very same spot he lowers Yeonjun into. He pulls back the covers, makes sure Yeonjun is tucked in safely before walking over to the bathroom to grab a wet cloth.

He sinks down onto the corner of the bed, wipes away the sweat that has gathered on Yeonjun's forehead. His skin is burning hot, and a flicker of fear sparks up again in Soobin's chest. He'd seen Yeonjun pass out after a ritual before and he had been warned that this time might be extra bad. That the additional force of energy would be too much, might knock Yeonjun out for a longer period of time or even make him a little ill.

But all of that was only supposed to happen if the ritual worked, if Yeonjun used up so much of his power that his body needed time to recharge. Soobin places the wet cloth onto the nightstand, gently moving a few pieces of hair away from Yeonjun's forehead. He can't seem to stop touching him, finding comfort in the contact. It's a relief to feel even the slightest brush of air leaving Yeonjun's slightly parted lips.

"I know you said this might happen," he whispers into the quiet of the room, "but I need you to wake up quickly. This wasn't part of the plan. Who else am I gonna annoy with my stupid jokes, hm?"

He tries to convince himself that he's fine, that his heart isn't lodged inside his throat, that his stomach isn't cramping in fear. He doesn't dare leave his place by Yeonjun's side, doesn't even notice the way the shadows on the floor change shape as the sun moves across the sky. At some point, his fingers find Yeonjun's, the ring still sitting on his pinky. There's no sign of what happened, no injury from the flash of light, nothing. Yeonjun's hand looks as pretty as ever, not a scratch in sight.

Soobin has held Yeonjun's hand many times by now, but this is the first time he lets himself look properly. It's smaller than his own, a soft chuckle escaping his lips despite how heavy he feels. His nails are short, painted a deep purple, and there are some ridges from where the rest of his rings usually sit on his knuckles. His fingertips are flushed a soft pink, seemingly out of place with how pale the rest of his complexion is right now. Soobin runs his fingers across Yeonjun's knuckles, tries to soak up the warmth from his skin. It's a good sign, he tells himself, that Yeonjun feels warm, alive.