you could tell he was stressed from the hunched shoulders and constant furrowed eyebrows, and— as his partner— you wanted to do something to try and cheer him up. it wouldn't be much, but spending at least some time with him without so much depressing talk going on might make him feel at least somewhat better. it would be a start.
you hadn't been dating for a long time. you had officially gotten together right before the apocalypse happened (it's still weird, knowing there's an actual apocalyptic event happening right outside your door), but you had already acted like a couple even before he officially asked you to be his partner.
with the recent events, eun-hyuk was put in charge. he was calm and level-headed, able to make quick and rational decisions. he proved himself when a monster from outside almost got into the green home, but he never signed up for it.
he spent a lot of his time in the security room close to the daycare. he would spend hours watching the security cameras and contemplate god knows what sitting in there by himself. you couldn't handle seeing him like this anymore.
he suffered in silence. he didn't want to bring you down with him. what he didn't understand was how much he truly meant to you, and seeing him under so much pressure made you upset. all you wanted was for him to be able to be open and honest with you about how he was feeling.
the door to the security office creaked open and you hesitated before stepping inside. you could only hope that he would be grateful for your presence. you contemplated turning around, but shook your head. you couldn't turn your back on the man you loved and cared for the most.
his back was turned to you and his eyes were glued onto the security camera footage in front of him. he was so focused on the tapes that he didn't even notice the sound of the door open. "eun-hyuk?" you asked, hoping it would get his attention. he only hummed in response. he was so.. different. it pained you to see him this way.
you pursed your lips and took a few steps forward. you grabbed a chair from where you were standing and sat it next to where your boyfriend sat staring at the cameras. "aren't you tired?" you asked, taking a seat next to him. he shrugged, "not really." his words told you one thing, but the bags under his eyes told an entirely different story. you grabbed onto one of his hands, which finally grabbed and held onto his attention.
"you need to sleep, eun-hyuk." you told him firmly. you wouldn't take no for an answer anymore, you told yourself as he looked deep into your eyes. from his expression, he looked calm as he always does. though, in his eyes, you could tell that something was wrong. "you need a break, just like everyone else. just because you were made the de facto leader doesn't mean you don't deserve to rest." you said after a few moments of sitting in silence. he only looked at you, not saying anything else. "please. i'll stay with you."
he shook his head again. "i have to make sure everything runs smoothly. i can't take breaks when doing this." eun-hyuk sounded exhausted, taking deep breaths in-between his sentences. "honey. please." you begged, your voice getting quieter and quieter with every word. "i'm worried about you. you spend all of your time in here. i know you want to protect everyone, but i want to protect you from yourself." he doesn't reply to you, but his body loosens up and he stands from the chair. you can almost hear the cracks of his bones when he does so.
you get out of your chair and move closer to him, gently wrapping your arms around his waist as you try to pull him as close to you as possible. you rub calming circles on his back with your palms and nuzzle your face into his chest. he lets out a breath, and he shuts his eyes.
"i needed this." is the only thing he says to you, and you smile as you pull away from the hug. "c'mon. let's lie down."
he smiles. a real and beautiful smile. your heart aches at the look on his face. it's the happiest he's been since the apocalypse started, and you're glad you could be the cause of it.
you tug him over to his makeshift bed in the far corner of the room and he lies down on it, his eyes closing like they did during the hug. though, this time, you climb into his bed next to him and cuddle up against his side, resting your cheek on the palm of your hand as try to look at his face. his cheeks are dusted with a barely noticeable pink, but he has the ghost of a smile etched across his features.
"hey, eun-hyuk?"
"hm?"
"can i kiss you?" you said.
"please."
his voice sounded desperate, like he'd been waiting for you to ask the entire time you'd been in the room with him. he sits up and his hands immediately grab onto your waist to pull you closer to him. you don't kiss him yet, instead you take a moment to admire him and his facial features.
he was so beautiful inside and out. he never knew how incredible he was and you could only hope that you were showing him through your words and actions.
you kissed him without any hesitancy. he melted into your touch and you wrapped your arms around his neck, kissing him as softly as you could. his entire body was and you can see that you're actually helping him. he'll try to pull you closer and eventually pull you onto his lap. he couldn't hold back his laughter as you kiss him. he hadn't felt that much joy in so incredibly long that finally experiencing it again felt like a dream come true.
you pulled away after a few more moments and he leaned after your lips, eyes still closed as he doesn't want you to pull away from him yet.
"thank you for this." he spoke after a brief moment of sitting quietly, just silently admiring each other. he would still have his hands resting on your waist, a smile on his lips. "you don't have to thank me." you peck his lips.
"i'd do anything for you, eun-hyuk. i know you don't realize how important you are to me but with all of this i just.. i know how you need love." he didn't reply but his facial expression says it all. his body tensed up at the mention of the current situation but relaxes after you tangle your hands into his hair. "can we do this again?" you laugh. "of course. now c'mon, love. let's get to bed."
even if it was 1 in the afternoon, eun-hyuk didn't care. he was with you, and that was all that mattered.
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