brighter than a blue sky (joongnine)

nine;

'here you go' nine slowly approached joong, placing a steaming mug of hot chocolate down beside him.

'thank you' joong whispered. he was struggling to get words out, courtesy of all the crying, and nine understood that.

'is there anything else you want? a snack, maybe a blanket?'

'c-can you just cuddle me?' joong spoke almost silently, embarrassed from his own request.

nines heart skipped more beats than was probably healthy, and his voice seemed to have got caught inside of his throat.

'yeah o-of course' he managed to push out 'let me grab a hoodie first'

he took himself to his wardrobe, letting out a deep breath. he had no idea what joong was doing, but it was understandable really. he was probably hurting, and needed the reassurance of someone else, and nine was grateful he had been chosen as that person. he picked out a light blue hoodie, throwing it over himself, searching for warmth. the hoodie hung off of him, making him look like a tiny child, and his hair was all fluffed up from the item being pulled over his head, but he payed no mind to it. with a sigh, he turned around, and carefully climbed onto the bed, positioning himself next to joong, arms barely touching.

'p'nine, do you know what cuddling is' joong chuckled slightly at the boys tentative movements, earning himself a smack to the head.

'shh, i was just trying to be gentle' nine tutted slightly, edging himself closer to his nong.

joong seemed to get tired of how delicate he was trying to be, and pulled nine over him.

'joong!!!' nine wailed causing both boys to laugh at their stupidity.

joong continued to tug on nine, until the boy was lying on top of him hands on his back.

his heart hadn't exploded yet, but nine was convinced that it wouldn't be long before it did. this was the happiest he had felt in what seemed like forever. he looked up, his eyes meeting the others deep brown ones. it wasn't unusual for the boys to behave like this, in fact they often cuddled, especially if one of them was down.

'it's nice to see you smile' nine stated, resting his head against the boys chest.

joong hummed in agreement, face dropping slightly, and he picked up on this mood change. nine was going to say something, but joong began to talk before he could open his own mouth.

'i'm sorry for being like this, i guess it's just a lot to take in' he sighed, closing his tear-stung eyes.

'joong, why are you apologising? we are best friends, i want to be here for you' nine hugged him a little tighter, making sure he understood that the words he had spoken were genuine.

but something had been on nines mind, and he was yet to ask this unanswered question. he pondered whether it would really be a good move, seeing had joong had almost lightened up, and he didn't want to ruin that. but his head was spinning, and he couldn't help but ask.

'chen' he said softly. he knew joong liked being called chen.

'hm?'

'can i..ask you something' nine selected his words carefully, making sure to be as gentle as possible.

'sure' he replied confused.

'did she.. pleng, tell you why she broke up with you?'

there was a pause, which seemed to go on for slightly too long, before joong answered.

'no, not really' he spoke calmly, and hearing his relaxed tone gave nine comfort.

at least it would if he couldnt feel joongs heart pounding against his ear.

it seemed easier not to question the answer he had been given and he decided to take it at face value, just incase joong wasn't ready to talk yet.

'can w-we sleep' joongs croaky voice startled nine, making him look up at the boy, to find his eyes filled with tears.

'hey- shhh don't cry chen' nine soothed, leaning in closer to his face, to brush the tears off joongs now slightly pink cheeks 'shhhh you're okay, i promise' he cooed.

nine came to the conclusion that it was probably best to stop asking questions for the time being, as clearly it wasn't sitting well with joong in his fragile state.

's-sorry' joong tried to swallow the lump in his throat, but this only caused his eyes to flood more.

'i'm here, chen, i've got you' nine whispered, pulling the boys tear stained face into his shoulder.

they stayed like that for a short while, giving joong the opportunity to sob, which, if he was being honest, was what he really needed. eventually, however, nine pulled away slightly, leaving him to move his head out nines neck crease.

'shall we try to sleep, hm?' nine asked a small smile tugging at his lips.

joong only nodded softly, before tapping his side.

nines eyebrows furrowed, wondering what the boy meant, before joong spoke up.

'i want to hold you' he whispered, almost silent.

nine paused for a moment, not breaking eye contact once, before nodding.

'whatever his majesty wants, i shall give him' he chuckled nervously, watching as joong gave him a small smack to the head.

carefully as he could, nine got off from joongs body, and rolled off to the side, instead wrapping his arms and legs around joongs body, clinging onto his left side for dear life.

'comfy?' joong asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

nine tutted, moving his head to give the younger a glare, before they both laughed quietly.

'thank you for today' joong whispered 'i love you'

'i love you too'

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A/N: hi everyone!! it's a tiny bit shorter today, but i'll update sooner! hope you enjoyed a cute fluffy chapter🥺 have an amazing day or night, remember how loved you are💗💗