Moonwatcher; Soonhoon

02

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SOONYOUNG MET JIHOON when they were both six, having been put in the same class and sat right next to each other. Jihoon was almost comically similar to how he is now: quiet, reserved, and completely put off by Soonyoung's forwardness. Soonyoung, on the other hand, has always been outgoing - and even Jihoon wasn't resistant to it.

So they grew close, and closer still as the years passed, to the point that their names now seem to compliment each other on the minds and tongues of others. Soonyoung and Jihoon - one doesn't quite sound right without the other, and it doesn't look like that'll be changing anytime soon.

A bittersweet thought, then.

"We've got a whole story," he tells Jihoon. They're in the school library, Jihoon trailing blindly behind him while he scans the wall of astronomy books. "You know that?"

"Sure I do," he mumbles, not looking up from his phone. "Now you'll tell me how we're something comparable to the Big Bang."

"You say that like you're joking."

Jihoon looks up, smiling. "I'm not. Both concepts are too factually significant for me to joke about."

"Hm. You do know that the Big Bang isn't entirely proven, right? Like, it's a commonly accepted theory, but I'm just saying. It might have not even happened."

"Do you believe that?"

"I believe a lot of things," he says, and he pauses for a moment before continuing, "but no, I wouldn't go so far as to doubt the Big Bang theory."

His fingers trace over a spine that catches his eye, and he pulls it off the shelf so he can scan the synopsis. He can feel Jihoon hovering over his shoulder to do the same.

"Turn Left at Orion," the other boy reads. "Hundreds of night sky objects to see through a home telescope."

"I'm gonna read this book, and then force you to sit out with me at night looking for constellations," Soonyoung says. Jihoon snorts.

"Fuck no. Do you realize how cold it's getting? You're going to get sick, Soonyoung. Just do it from inside."

"How?"

"Look through your window."

"It's not the same," he insists.

"It's not the same, but I think your health matters a little more than an authentic stargazing experience. Also, if you do get sick, I already know I'm gonna be the one missing class to keep you company. My honor roll can't afford that."

Soonyoung hums, smiling, "No one forces you to do it, Jihoonie, I think you just like having the excuse." He won't complain, though - he likes it, too.

He's not looking down at the book anymore, but Jihoon still stands close behind him, at one point letting his head drop against Soonyoung's back, resting there quietly. Soonyoung can feel himself supporting Jihoon's body weight, can feel Jihoon's breath against his shoulder blade, and he tries to ignore the fever spreading through him.

"Tired?" he asks, and he can feel a nodding against him. "Listen, I don't wanna discourage you or anything - because it's great that you work so hard in school, I get that - but maybe learn to take a break?"

"No breaks," Jihoon says. "I've got stuff to do."

"You're overworking yourself."

"It's not like I'm not sleeping at night."