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Moonlight drifted in through the window of the dimly lit room where the only source of brightness was the television screen.
Two young boys sitting comfortably beside each other on the sofa were enjoying their movie night along with popcorn and some cold drinks.
Deciding what to watch is a tough choice especially when there's a wide range of variety to choose from. If they wanted, they could've probably picked something sci-fi, thrilling or full of action. But here they were watching Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs, kind of random yes, but still not a bad choice.
"Hyung, you kinda resemble Merlin," the younger among them exclaimed.
"Yeah, but I'm more handsome. Don't you agree, Yujinnie?" he proudly replied after imitating the character as the other laughed at his silliness.
For Yujin, this was the best way to spend the summer break. He was doing his favourite thing with his favourite person, what more could he ask for?
His favourite person was none other than his childhood friend, Gyuvin, who also happened to be his neighbour. Being three years younger didn't stop Yujin from being his best friend. They grew up together sharing most of their stuff, hobbies, and memories. As long as he could remember there were hardly any moments when his bestie wasn't by his side. They were literally inseparable.
Recently however, Yujin was experiencing some sort of different emotions when with him. Like suddenly getting nervous or self conscious around him. It was hard to describe the feeling. Being with him made him happy, whilst being away made him somehow restless. The former part was always there but the latter was new. He wished they could spend more time together, even though they basically saw each other everyday.
Yujin couldn't remember when or how it started but it just did. And no matter how much he tried to convince himself otherwise, nothing seemed to be helping.
Eyes glued to the screen, Yujin put his hand in the bowl to grab some popcorn when he felt Gyuvin's hand brush against his. He quickly pulled his hand away in order to let his friend have it first who just smiled at him as he gobbled some popcorn.
'Why did I just kinda feel weird right now?' Yujin asked himself as he looked at his friend, who was normal and calm unlike his flustered self.
'I need to calm myself down.' he thought to himself while glancing at Gyuvin casually watching the movie.
As the story progressed towards the climax, both of them had their full attention to it which was ironic considering Yujin wasn't able to concentrate on anything, let alone the film. Head full of thoughts about the unusual feelings he was currently experiencing.
His train of thought was interrupted when Gyuvin suddenly laid his head on his lap while making himself spread comfortably on the sofa.
Yujin was internally panicking now because the way they were seated at the moment was too affectionate. And as if that wasn't already enough, his idiot friend, who had his eyes fixed on the tv screen, even had the guts to reach for his hand and intertwine them together, being totally unfazed while doing so, contrary to Yujin. On one hand there was poor Yujin suppressing his frantic mind and on the other hand was a completely oblivious Gyuvin, in the younger's point of view.
They had always been like this, though. Leaning on each other's shoulders, holding hands, resting on each other's laps, all these gestures were basically a part of their love language. It never bothered Yujin before, but now it wasn't letting his brain function properly.
No one likes being called a coward but if it meant being one for the sake of their friendship then so be it. If he had two options; one, to stay like this forever but just as a best friend. And the other, to potentially ruin all those years of what they have due to a mere confession. Then Yujin would choose the first one in a heartbeat. After all, being with him was what mattered the most.
Finally the movie came to an end. Yujin was so engrossed in the storyline that he didn't even realize it. Thanks to the wonderful movie, he was able to distract his attention from whatever was going on inside his head. He breathed a sigh of relief as soon as Gyuvin sat upright again but felt a pang of unhappiness when he let go of their hands, as if something important and close to him suddenly disappeared.
"That was one gem of a movie!!" He exclaimed enthusiastically, stretching his arms a bit while facing the tv.
"Yes, it was really awesome. By the way, hyung, what's your favourite line?" It was usually just a fun tradition between them to have a most liked line, dialogue or quote from movies.
Gyuvin took a moment to reminisce. "Yes, there's this line I liked a lot," he said, turning to face Yujin while inching a little closer to him. Gently taking his hand into his own, he stared into the younger's eyes as if they contained the whole universe.
"You're the most beautiful person in the world, whether my eyes open or closed."
Yujin was taken aback for a minute. Everything about the way his friend stated the line felt so surreal. Was he always this talented when it came to acting? Was he always this skilled at expressions? Or was there any other meaning to it? Because from his sincere tone to the way he delivered the line, Yujin was in awe. It felt as if he was actually confessing.
The younger wasn't sure what he was thinking.Wanting to be brave for once and take the risk, he decided to go with the flow. Ultimately gathering the courage to lock eyes with his bestie, he continued, with the same seriousness.
"Hyung, I wish we were under the same spell. I'm talking about the kind of spell you'd never wanna break."
Now it was Gyuvin's turn to be surprised. "That's Red's line!!" No wonder he said it, he thought. Yet something felt unique, for the younger wouldn't have been this earnest while reciting some lines. Presumably, it seemed as if he wanted to convey some sort of a message.
"But wait, are you trying to tell me something?" Looking at his friend expectantly, he was eager to know the reason.
"I'll be honest, hyung. I don't know what's happening, but since we did get to this point, I won't beat around the bush anymore."
Gyuvin nodded politely, signaling him to continue before tightening the grip around his hand, letting him know that he'll always be there listening to him.
Taking a deep breath, Yujin finally poured his heart out, "Hyung, I know we have been the bestest of friends, still are, and always will be, no doubt. But lately.. I feel like I wanna be something more. I've thought about it over and over again, and have come to the conclusion that it is not our friendship nor the fact we know each other for so long. Those feelings are completely new and different cause I promise I've never felt this way with anyone else before. So, I wanted you to know that I like you, hyung. I really do." Getting nervous and hopeful, he looked at him, waiting for a response.
Gyuvin just gasped at the confession as words failed him.
A panicked Yujin quickly started explaining, "Hyung, I'm sorry. You don't have to feel the same way, I underst-", however before he could even complete the sentence, Gyuvin engulfed him into a tight hug.
The younger was puzzled due to the sudden action but stayed calm in his embrace until Gyuvin began,"Yujinnie, you have no idea how delighted I am right now. I was waiting for this moment too." Face heating up, smiling from ear to ear listening to his hyung's answer. He was over the moon.
"The only unbelievable thing is that I didn't imagine it to be this soon, also I never expected you to be the first one to confess," he added, making Yujin pull away from the hug in disbelief and look at him with a pout, with hands crossed against his chest.
"At least I took the risk, hyung. You should acknowledge the fact that I'm braver," he complained.
"Braver? Haha!! says the one who couldn't even properly look me in the eyes since the past few days," the older snapped back.
Yujin just gave up because he knew it was impossible to escape the other's teasing. Another curious thought came up in his mind, "Wait a minute, hyung, so you knew I liked you. And since when did you start liking me back?"
"Actually it's the other way around, my dear."
That endearment at the end made Yujin giddy.
"I realized I had feelings for you way before you figured out yours. The only difference is that I wasn't obvious and good at hiding them," he recalled with a smirk and ended up getting playfully slapped on his arm by the younger.
"It's too good to be true that I feel like I'm still dreaming," Yujin admitted, still unable to process the reality.
Gyuvin simply cupped the younger's face using his huge palms and brought it close to his as he gazed into his beautiful brown eyes.
Those eyes comprising the universe.
Those eyes where he could drown in.
Those eyes that sparkled when looking at him.
Those eyes that he had fallen for.
"I know it's astounding, but we're under the same spell, Yujinnie. And, I wish for it to last forever."
With those loving words, Gyuvin gently placed a soft kiss on the younger's forehead, whom he vowed to treasure till the end of time.
Butterflies were what Yujin experienced in his stomach as his cheeks turned bright pink, making him shyly bury his head in Gyuvin's chest.
He put his arm around a blushing Yujin's shoulder and pulled him closer. They snuggled up warmly against each other with no plans of letting go any sooner.
It felt as if all of the stars had aligned, in the right place, at the right time, this was the start of something so right.