Cookies, Cocoa and Promises
Title: Cookies, Cocoa and Promises
Genre: Fluff
Rating: G
Pairing(s): Zelo/OC
Word Count: 2,930
My legs were crossed, the tip of my foot tapping slightly to the beat of the music through my iPod as I flipped the page of my novel, before I cast a sideways glance at the clock hanging on the wall. A sigh couldn’t help but escape my lips as I pulled a pout to no one in particular, my eyes flicking to the still-shut wooden door of my apartment.
He was late again.
That company is really overworking him, I thought with a scowl. He’s still a baby, how could they force him to stay up so late?
Yes, even if he was technically fifteen, turning sixteen this year, he was still my baby, and would probably remain that way forever. How could anyone see his face and not immediately want to adopt him and keep him as a pet forever? It wasn’t humanly possible, I decided with a satisfied smile, which quickly disappeared when I remembered that he still wasn’t home.
Just when is he coming back?
I turned back to the novel, my interest in the words on the page fast fading with the ticking seconds. Sighing, I shifted my position on the couch, resting my chin on the flat of my palm as I picked up my phone and unlocked it automatically, even though I could see that I hadn’t received any messages or missed calls.
Absently, a lazy, content smile tugged at the edges of my mouth when my home screen wallpaper became visible.
It was maybe the fifteenth, sixteenth, twentieth, selca we had taken? Back during his debut days, when his hair was still an adorable curly mess of blonde. His eyes were shining like crystals studded in his flawless skin, his nose and cheeks were rosy from the pre-winter chill, and a bright blue scarf was looped around his neck to keep warm. My arms were thrown around him from behind, and I was pulling a face at the camera, my own dark maroon scarf just visible beside the tangle of dark brown and platinum blonde hair.
I was shaken out of my reverie by a melodic doorbell ring through the house, and I hastily put my phone on the coffee table again, before scrambling off the couch to open the door.
“Jun Hong?”
“G-g-gye Sun noona?” The poor baby couldn’t even get through one sentence without breaking into a yawn.
“Aigoo! You must be freezing!” I ushered him inside the living room immediately, helping the tall boy out of his thick blue jacket and scarf. Jun Hong looked exhausted, barely able to keep his eyes open as he shuffled into the apartment, almost losing his balance when he lifted a foot to pull off his shoes.
“How was your fansigning, baby?” I asked as I hooked the scarf on the clothes pegs by the door.
“It was fantastic, noona!” He cheered, even though he looked like he was about to pass out on the hardwood floor at any moment. “There were like, a gazillion fans who came to see us! And I managed to do my rap perfectly, even Yongguk hyung was praising me after our performance! And and and Himchan hyung tripped over a microphone wire and fell down the stairs when we were going offstage, and he almost got a con-cu-ssion.”
He pronounced the last word with some difficulty, since he was yawning again. Clucking my tongue disapprovingly, I chivvied him over to the bathroom and stuffed a set of clothes into his arms.
“Take a long, good shower and come out soon okay? Then you can tell me all about today,” I found myself having to tiptoe to place a quick kiss on his cheek, before ushering him gently into the bathroom and closing the door.
Sighing for what seemed like the umpteenth time that night, I turned and headed over to the kitchen to get ready the snack I’d baked since this evening for him.
“As if it isn’t bad enough I can only see him on the weekends now, he has to come back at some ungodly hour dead exhausted,” I grumbled to myself as I popped open the oven door and checked on the tray inside, before shutting it again and setting it to reheat for thirty seconds. “He’s only fifteen, he shouldn’t even have debuted yet, they’re putting way too much pressure on him...” I continued in my self-absorbed rant as I tiptoed again to open the cupboard and get out two mugs. “How is he even supposed to live like this? Fansignings, performances, radio recordings, interviews, comebacks, and dance and rap practice every other minute...”
I opened the fridge to get out a carton of milk, before swinging it shut with my hip. “Psh, he’s much too young to be travelling all over the world doing this...he needs a few more years...”
It took me a few minutes to realise that, through all my ranting, I really just missed my baby. Pausing in my frustrated movements to gaze out of the window, at the crescent moon in the sky, I wondered how long even these visits would be able to last. When would my baby be all grown up, flying around the world, meeting new girls, living the glamorous life?
I deflated slightly on the inside, as tears welled up in my eyes at the prospect of him leaving me for the beauty and material attractions of the outside world- the money, the fame, the perks and privileges of being an idol loved by the rest of the world.
The dinging of the oven bell shook me from my thoughts. I strode purposefully over to the metallic rectangular box, grabbing a pair of mitts to take the tray out of the oven, all the time mulling over my thoughts in my head.
I need to be proud for him, I told myself determinedly. He’s not going to be my baby forever. He’s going to perform in concerts, model for magazines, and receive all sorts of awards. Besides, there’s no need to worry. He’s a good boy who can take care of himself, and he’s got five hyungs watching his back.
I had to chuckle slightly to myself after thinking that, not sure if I was supposed to be worried or assured by the last point my mind had conjured. Those five boys were as immature, if not worse, than my baby.
Jun Hong’s going to be okay, I concluded steadily as I poured hot water into the mugs, though my fingers were trembling in their tight grip around the plastic flask handle.
Just as I was adding the finishing touches to our little snack, though, a rude intrusion almost made me jump.
“Noona!” Jun Hong poked his head into the kitchen, grinning. His eyes were sparkling, his blonde hair now in wet straggles down his forehead. The shower seemed to have woken him up tenfold. “Noona, can we watch a movie?”
I propped a hand on the curve of my hip, shooting him a stern look. “Choi Jun Hong. You come back at eleven thirty at night after a full day of promotions and still want to watch a movie?”
He pouted immediately, tilting his head to a side by just a couple of degrees. “Please noona? I haven’t had time to spend with you all week, and I have to leave tomorrow afternoon...pleeeaaaase?”
...damn.
“...fine,” I mumbled, disgruntled.
“Oooooh noona!” His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as they landed on the tray of chocolate chip cookies I’d just warmed up, plus the two steaming mugs of hot cocoa I’d prepared. “Are those for us?”
“No, baby, they’re for the moon bunnies,” I said sarcastically, as I balanced the two mugs on the tray, and started carrying it out to the living room.
“I’m a moon bunny!” He said cheerfully, his hand shooting up into the air, before he scuttled over to grab a cookie from the tray.
“Careful, sweetie, they’re-...”
“Oww!” He dropped the cookie he’d seized, pulling a face as he instinctively stuck his fingers in his mouth to ease the burn pain.
I sighed as I set the tray down on the coffee table, taking his fingers over gingerly to survey the damage.
“It hurts, noona…” Jun Hong looked on the verge of tears, lower lip trembling in a classic doe-eyed countenance.
“It’s just a little red, you’ll be okay,” I said reassuringly after thoroughly checking his fingers. “Don’t be such a drama queen. I’m going to get some toothpaste to put on this, okay? Now you know better than to grab cookies fresh out of the oven off the tray, don’t you?”
It became apparent to me, a few minutes later, that he didn’t, because when I came back with the toothpaste, he was already on his third cookie, and could only offer me an innocent, wide-eyed stare when I glowered down with my best appraising-noona visage.
Of course, I couldn’t stay mad at him after that.
*
The two of us were curled up on the couch as the credits began to roll, and Jun Hong stretched his insanely long limbs to yawn, before snuggling up beside me under the thick blue comforter that I’d brought over to protect us from the winter chill.
What remained of our snack earlier tonight lay in miniscule chocolate crumbs on the tray, and cold dregs in the two blue mugs that sat on the coffee table. Satisfied by a full stomach, Jun Hong was fast dozing off, fighting to keep his eyes open.
“Got a big day tomorrow, sweetheart?” I murmured over the soft piano ballad that played with the credits.
“Mm hm,” Jun Hong said sleepily, trying to nuzzle his way impossibly closer to me under the blanket, finally settling for having his head resting against my thin shoulder. “Yongguk hyung told me we were going to begin preparations for our new album, and we’re doing a performance for the Korean pop concert at Lotte world tomorrow night. Then we’re going to finalise the plans for our visit to Singapore, and we’re going to practice our choreography…”
He trailed off here to yawn widely, before leaning against me again. I snuck a glance at him to see his eyelids slowly drooping shut, his eyes glazed over with exhaustion.
“We’re going to have so much fun, noona,” he finally said, letting his eyes slide close.
So much fun…My heart involuntarily sank a little at the thought once again. Yes, yes he would have fun, more than I could ever give him.
I always used to think that so long as both of us loved each other, we’d be together forever. I never counted on all those little things that happened in the course of life getting in the way.
Sometimes, these things just happened. They were good things, like becoming an idol, which had been Jun Hong’s dream even before we met. But these good things just somehow entangled themselves in our lives and set us in different directions.
I couldn’t blame anything now, of course. Wasn’t I supposed to be happy for Jun Hong, that his fantasies were finally materialising before his eyes? Shouldn’t I be revelling in joy that he would be famous? That his name would be the first from the lips of every crazed teenage fangirl on this planet? That he would be going all over the world to sing for screaming crowds of fans?
So why wasn’t I happy that my baby was flying away from me?
A lump formed in my throat, and I fought back tears as the weight of it began to set in.
What could I say? What could I do but sit aside and cheer him on like I’d done all these years?
When would I become nothing but a face in the crowd cheering alongside me?
My fingers absently reached up to intertwine in his silky blonde hair, combing through the locks gently as I gazed at the now silent television, the credits still moving up the screen steadily. A tear finally spilled from my dark eyes, leaving a track down my cheek as it glided down my face.
I was reaching to hastily wipe it away when it fell from my face, falling through the air till it struck the perfect face just a few inches below mine.
My breath caught in my chest when he made a sudden movement, startled. His glassy eyes opened, and turned up towards me, a questioning look on his face, as if meaning to ask why it was raining in our house.
Those same, angelic eyes widened upon seeing the tears in my own.
“Noona! Why are you crying?” he scrambled up in alarm. “Was I pressing down on your arm too hard? Was the movie too sad? Did I eat too many cookies?”
“No, no, it’s okay,” I tried to brush it off, and get him to go back to sleep, but he folded his arms, determined to find out why I was crying. “Ah…I just yawned, that’s all.”
He stared at me suspiciously for a while, tilting his head again, like he always did whenever he wanted to get something, or when he was trying to figure out something.
How many people know that, exactly? Do any of his fans know that? The thought rang out, bitter and cold, in my head, causing a fresh wave of tears to fall from my eyes.
“Noona, you have to tell me why you’re sad!” Jun Hong said anxiously. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No, of course not,” I forced a weak, trembling smile. I can’t blame anyone for why I’m crying, baby. It’s just my fault, it’s all my fault. “You should go to sleep, baby. You’ve got a long day tomorrow, and I won’t be seeing you again till next week.”
My voice wavered dangerously over the last few words, and Jun Hong, as perceptive and sharp as he was, picked it up immediately.
“Noona…are you sad…” he started out cautiously, yet his voice was brimming with concern. “…because I’m leaving?”
That statement alone caused my tears to fall harder than ever. I wiped them away, as if still trying to hide the fact that I was crying.
“Noona, you know I’ll come back, right?” He spoke softly, taking my hands in his own smooth, cool ones. “I’ll always come back to you.”
I nodded through my tears, though all that could run through my head was how soon all this would disappear. I couldn’t just let it all slip away so easily.
“Baby,” I said, speaking slowly to keep my voice as steady as possible, though it still wobbled over the syllables. “You’ll…you’ll be safe, won’t you? You’ll have lots of fun, and make good music, and listen to your hyungs, right?”
He nodded happily. “Of course, noona!”
“Jun Hong…” My voice trailed off slowly, as I lowered my gaze. “You…you’ll be good, won’t you? And you…you won’t forget me, will you?”
There was silence for a while, a silence that terrified me, as I hung in suspense, staring at the velvety material of the couch, wondering if I’d said too much.
Would he want to leave me even more, now?
“Gye Sun noona…” I was surprised to hear the warm understanding in his tone, his voice suddenly a few years more wise and mature than it had been a few seconds ago. I was even more surprised to feel his hand gently lifting my face so I looked into his compassionate eyes, his fingers brushing away the stray tears that remained tentatively on my cheeks. “I’m never going to leave you, and you know it too.”
The comforter rustled against his movement as he leaned forward ever so slightly, so our foreheads just touched, and he wiped away the tears that continued to fall.
“You’re always going to be my noona, and I’m always going to be your baby, and so long as we love each other, that’s the way it’ll stay forever.”
A stifled sob finally passed my lips, as I pulled him closer to me in a hug, letting the tears soak through the warm material of his shirt as I cried.
“I never want you to leave me, Jun Hong,” I tightened my hug around him, choking through my sobs.
“And I’m never going to leave you, noona,” he hugged me back, stroking my dark brown hair softly. “Never ever ever.”
“That’s my baby,” a true, shaky smile tugged at the edges of my mouth at his words, as I released my hold on him to gaze at him, and his beautiful perfection.
“Now noona, you have to sleep, or you’ll be tired tomorrow,” he dictated, as he pulled the snug, warm comforter higher over us, and burrowed his way into my arms again. I chuckled slightly at just how adorable he was, still sniffling slightly, and I took the remote to shut off the television, before resting my head against his, my own eyelids suddenly feeling heavier, as a sense of relief blanketed my once frazzled, frayed nerves.
“Goodnight, noona,” his voice was sweet, barely audible as he began to doze off once more.
I smiled in the darkness, finally feeling at rest with the promise of Jun Hong by my side forever, and with the remnant sweetness of chocolate and cocoa on the tip of my tongue and his presence beside me, I felt the deep slumber slowly overtake me.
“Goodnight, baby,” I murmured into his pale hair, as I closed my eyes.
Genre: Fluff
Rating: G
Pairing(s): Zelo/OC
Word Count: 2,930
My legs were crossed, the tip of my foot tapping slightly to the beat of the music through my iPod as I flipped the page of my novel, before I cast a sideways glance at the clock hanging on the wall. A sigh couldn’t help but escape my lips as I pulled a pout to no one in particular, my eyes flicking to the still-shut wooden door of my apartment.
He was late again.
That company is really overworking him, I thought with a scowl. He’s still a baby, how could they force him to stay up so late?
Yes, even if he was technically fifteen, turning sixteen this year, he was still my baby, and would probably remain that way forever. How could anyone see his face and not immediately want to adopt him and keep him as a pet forever? It wasn’t humanly possible, I decided with a satisfied smile, which quickly disappeared when I remembered that he still wasn’t home.
Just when is he coming back?
I turned back to the novel, my interest in the words on the page fast fading with the ticking seconds. Sighing, I shifted my position on the couch, resting my chin on the flat of my palm as I picked up my phone and unlocked it automatically, even though I could see that I hadn’t received any messages or missed calls.
Absently, a lazy, content smile tugged at the edges of my mouth when my home screen wallpaper became visible.
It was maybe the fifteenth, sixteenth, twentieth, selca we had taken? Back during his debut days, when his hair was still an adorable curly mess of blonde. His eyes were shining like crystals studded in his flawless skin, his nose and cheeks were rosy from the pre-winter chill, and a bright blue scarf was looped around his neck to keep warm. My arms were thrown around him from behind, and I was pulling a face at the camera, my own dark maroon scarf just visible beside the tangle of dark brown and platinum blonde hair.
I was shaken out of my reverie by a melodic doorbell ring through the house, and I hastily put my phone on the coffee table again, before scrambling off the couch to open the door.
“Jun Hong?”
“G-g-gye Sun noona?” The poor baby couldn’t even get through one sentence without breaking into a yawn.
“Aigoo! You must be freezing!” I ushered him inside the living room immediately, helping the tall boy out of his thick blue jacket and scarf. Jun Hong looked exhausted, barely able to keep his eyes open as he shuffled into the apartment, almost losing his balance when he lifted a foot to pull off his shoes.
“How was your fansigning, baby?” I asked as I hooked the scarf on the clothes pegs by the door.
“It was fantastic, noona!” He cheered, even though he looked like he was about to pass out on the hardwood floor at any moment. “There were like, a gazillion fans who came to see us! And I managed to do my rap perfectly, even Yongguk hyung was praising me after our performance! And and and Himchan hyung tripped over a microphone wire and fell down the stairs when we were going offstage, and he almost got a con-cu-ssion.”
He pronounced the last word with some difficulty, since he was yawning again. Clucking my tongue disapprovingly, I chivvied him over to the bathroom and stuffed a set of clothes into his arms.
“Take a long, good shower and come out soon okay? Then you can tell me all about today,” I found myself having to tiptoe to place a quick kiss on his cheek, before ushering him gently into the bathroom and closing the door.
Sighing for what seemed like the umpteenth time that night, I turned and headed over to the kitchen to get ready the snack I’d baked since this evening for him.
“As if it isn’t bad enough I can only see him on the weekends now, he has to come back at some ungodly hour dead exhausted,” I grumbled to myself as I popped open the oven door and checked on the tray inside, before shutting it again and setting it to reheat for thirty seconds. “He’s only fifteen, he shouldn’t even have debuted yet, they’re putting way too much pressure on him...” I continued in my self-absorbed rant as I tiptoed again to open the cupboard and get out two mugs. “How is he even supposed to live like this? Fansignings, performances, radio recordings, interviews, comebacks, and dance and rap practice every other minute...”
I opened the fridge to get out a carton of milk, before swinging it shut with my hip. “Psh, he’s much too young to be travelling all over the world doing this...he needs a few more years...”
It took me a few minutes to realise that, through all my ranting, I really just missed my baby. Pausing in my frustrated movements to gaze out of the window, at the crescent moon in the sky, I wondered how long even these visits would be able to last. When would my baby be all grown up, flying around the world, meeting new girls, living the glamorous life?
I deflated slightly on the inside, as tears welled up in my eyes at the prospect of him leaving me for the beauty and material attractions of the outside world- the money, the fame, the perks and privileges of being an idol loved by the rest of the world.
The dinging of the oven bell shook me from my thoughts. I strode purposefully over to the metallic rectangular box, grabbing a pair of mitts to take the tray out of the oven, all the time mulling over my thoughts in my head.
I need to be proud for him, I told myself determinedly. He’s not going to be my baby forever. He’s going to perform in concerts, model for magazines, and receive all sorts of awards. Besides, there’s no need to worry. He’s a good boy who can take care of himself, and he’s got five hyungs watching his back.
I had to chuckle slightly to myself after thinking that, not sure if I was supposed to be worried or assured by the last point my mind had conjured. Those five boys were as immature, if not worse, than my baby.
Jun Hong’s going to be okay, I concluded steadily as I poured hot water into the mugs, though my fingers were trembling in their tight grip around the plastic flask handle.
Just as I was adding the finishing touches to our little snack, though, a rude intrusion almost made me jump.
“Noona!” Jun Hong poked his head into the kitchen, grinning. His eyes were sparkling, his blonde hair now in wet straggles down his forehead. The shower seemed to have woken him up tenfold. “Noona, can we watch a movie?”
I propped a hand on the curve of my hip, shooting him a stern look. “Choi Jun Hong. You come back at eleven thirty at night after a full day of promotions and still want to watch a movie?”
He pouted immediately, tilting his head to a side by just a couple of degrees. “Please noona? I haven’t had time to spend with you all week, and I have to leave tomorrow afternoon...pleeeaaaase?”
...damn.
“...fine,” I mumbled, disgruntled.
“Oooooh noona!” His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as they landed on the tray of chocolate chip cookies I’d just warmed up, plus the two steaming mugs of hot cocoa I’d prepared. “Are those for us?”
“No, baby, they’re for the moon bunnies,” I said sarcastically, as I balanced the two mugs on the tray, and started carrying it out to the living room.
“I’m a moon bunny!” He said cheerfully, his hand shooting up into the air, before he scuttled over to grab a cookie from the tray.
“Careful, sweetie, they’re-...”
“Oww!” He dropped the cookie he’d seized, pulling a face as he instinctively stuck his fingers in his mouth to ease the burn pain.
I sighed as I set the tray down on the coffee table, taking his fingers over gingerly to survey the damage.
“It hurts, noona…” Jun Hong looked on the verge of tears, lower lip trembling in a classic doe-eyed countenance.
“It’s just a little red, you’ll be okay,” I said reassuringly after thoroughly checking his fingers. “Don’t be such a drama queen. I’m going to get some toothpaste to put on this, okay? Now you know better than to grab cookies fresh out of the oven off the tray, don’t you?”
It became apparent to me, a few minutes later, that he didn’t, because when I came back with the toothpaste, he was already on his third cookie, and could only offer me an innocent, wide-eyed stare when I glowered down with my best appraising-noona visage.
Of course, I couldn’t stay mad at him after that.
*
The two of us were curled up on the couch as the credits began to roll, and Jun Hong stretched his insanely long limbs to yawn, before snuggling up beside me under the thick blue comforter that I’d brought over to protect us from the winter chill.
What remained of our snack earlier tonight lay in miniscule chocolate crumbs on the tray, and cold dregs in the two blue mugs that sat on the coffee table. Satisfied by a full stomach, Jun Hong was fast dozing off, fighting to keep his eyes open.
“Got a big day tomorrow, sweetheart?” I murmured over the soft piano ballad that played with the credits.
“Mm hm,” Jun Hong said sleepily, trying to nuzzle his way impossibly closer to me under the blanket, finally settling for having his head resting against my thin shoulder. “Yongguk hyung told me we were going to begin preparations for our new album, and we’re doing a performance for the Korean pop concert at Lotte world tomorrow night. Then we’re going to finalise the plans for our visit to Singapore, and we’re going to practice our choreography…”
He trailed off here to yawn widely, before leaning against me again. I snuck a glance at him to see his eyelids slowly drooping shut, his eyes glazed over with exhaustion.
“We’re going to have so much fun, noona,” he finally said, letting his eyes slide close.
So much fun…My heart involuntarily sank a little at the thought once again. Yes, yes he would have fun, more than I could ever give him.
I always used to think that so long as both of us loved each other, we’d be together forever. I never counted on all those little things that happened in the course of life getting in the way.
Sometimes, these things just happened. They were good things, like becoming an idol, which had been Jun Hong’s dream even before we met. But these good things just somehow entangled themselves in our lives and set us in different directions.
I couldn’t blame anything now, of course. Wasn’t I supposed to be happy for Jun Hong, that his fantasies were finally materialising before his eyes? Shouldn’t I be revelling in joy that he would be famous? That his name would be the first from the lips of every crazed teenage fangirl on this planet? That he would be going all over the world to sing for screaming crowds of fans?
So why wasn’t I happy that my baby was flying away from me?
A lump formed in my throat, and I fought back tears as the weight of it began to set in.
What could I say? What could I do but sit aside and cheer him on like I’d done all these years?
When would I become nothing but a face in the crowd cheering alongside me?
My fingers absently reached up to intertwine in his silky blonde hair, combing through the locks gently as I gazed at the now silent television, the credits still moving up the screen steadily. A tear finally spilled from my dark eyes, leaving a track down my cheek as it glided down my face.
I was reaching to hastily wipe it away when it fell from my face, falling through the air till it struck the perfect face just a few inches below mine.
My breath caught in my chest when he made a sudden movement, startled. His glassy eyes opened, and turned up towards me, a questioning look on his face, as if meaning to ask why it was raining in our house.
Those same, angelic eyes widened upon seeing the tears in my own.
“Noona! Why are you crying?” he scrambled up in alarm. “Was I pressing down on your arm too hard? Was the movie too sad? Did I eat too many cookies?”
“No, no, it’s okay,” I tried to brush it off, and get him to go back to sleep, but he folded his arms, determined to find out why I was crying. “Ah…I just yawned, that’s all.”
He stared at me suspiciously for a while, tilting his head again, like he always did whenever he wanted to get something, or when he was trying to figure out something.
How many people know that, exactly? Do any of his fans know that? The thought rang out, bitter and cold, in my head, causing a fresh wave of tears to fall from my eyes.
“Noona, you have to tell me why you’re sad!” Jun Hong said anxiously. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No, of course not,” I forced a weak, trembling smile. I can’t blame anyone for why I’m crying, baby. It’s just my fault, it’s all my fault. “You should go to sleep, baby. You’ve got a long day tomorrow, and I won’t be seeing you again till next week.”
My voice wavered dangerously over the last few words, and Jun Hong, as perceptive and sharp as he was, picked it up immediately.
“Noona…are you sad…” he started out cautiously, yet his voice was brimming with concern. “…because I’m leaving?”
That statement alone caused my tears to fall harder than ever. I wiped them away, as if still trying to hide the fact that I was crying.
“Noona, you know I’ll come back, right?” He spoke softly, taking my hands in his own smooth, cool ones. “I’ll always come back to you.”
I nodded through my tears, though all that could run through my head was how soon all this would disappear. I couldn’t just let it all slip away so easily.
“Baby,” I said, speaking slowly to keep my voice as steady as possible, though it still wobbled over the syllables. “You’ll…you’ll be safe, won’t you? You’ll have lots of fun, and make good music, and listen to your hyungs, right?”
He nodded happily. “Of course, noona!”
“Jun Hong…” My voice trailed off slowly, as I lowered my gaze. “You…you’ll be good, won’t you? And you…you won’t forget me, will you?”
There was silence for a while, a silence that terrified me, as I hung in suspense, staring at the velvety material of the couch, wondering if I’d said too much.
Would he want to leave me even more, now?
“Gye Sun noona…” I was surprised to hear the warm understanding in his tone, his voice suddenly a few years more wise and mature than it had been a few seconds ago. I was even more surprised to feel his hand gently lifting my face so I looked into his compassionate eyes, his fingers brushing away the stray tears that remained tentatively on my cheeks. “I’m never going to leave you, and you know it too.”
The comforter rustled against his movement as he leaned forward ever so slightly, so our foreheads just touched, and he wiped away the tears that continued to fall.
“You’re always going to be my noona, and I’m always going to be your baby, and so long as we love each other, that’s the way it’ll stay forever.”
A stifled sob finally passed my lips, as I pulled him closer to me in a hug, letting the tears soak through the warm material of his shirt as I cried.
“I never want you to leave me, Jun Hong,” I tightened my hug around him, choking through my sobs.
“And I’m never going to leave you, noona,” he hugged me back, stroking my dark brown hair softly. “Never ever ever.”
“That’s my baby,” a true, shaky smile tugged at the edges of my mouth at his words, as I released my hold on him to gaze at him, and his beautiful perfection.
“Now noona, you have to sleep, or you’ll be tired tomorrow,” he dictated, as he pulled the snug, warm comforter higher over us, and burrowed his way into my arms again. I chuckled slightly at just how adorable he was, still sniffling slightly, and I took the remote to shut off the television, before resting my head against his, my own eyelids suddenly feeling heavier, as a sense of relief blanketed my once frazzled, frayed nerves.
“Goodnight, noona,” his voice was sweet, barely audible as he began to doze off once more.
I smiled in the darkness, finally feeling at rest with the promise of Jun Hong by my side forever, and with the remnant sweetness of chocolate and cocoa on the tip of my tongue and his presence beside me, I felt the deep slumber slowly overtake me.
“Goodnight, baby,” I murmured into his pale hair, as I closed my eyes.