Chapter Text
Sunoo woke up to the sensation of a warm body pressed against his, combined with soft breathing against the side of his throat. It made him come to his senses immediately, blinking his bleary eyes open. The first thing he saw was the top of a head, nestled close to his neck. A familiar scent filled his nostrils. Sunoo blinked more, focusing his tired eyes.
Oh , he thought, yesterday truly happened?
At once, his face grew with hot with flush. His lips felt as if they were stinging. He and Ni-ki had kissed . Ni-ki had kissed him. He had had Ni-ki’s tongue in his mouth . Their tongues had actually touched each other and he had made weird noises and what if - Sunoo took a deep breath. He couldn’t freak out.
What had happened had been a mutual decision. He had not pounced on his dongsaeng. Ni-ki had asked him. And even though he probably should’ve said no, well, how could he say no? Not even at this moment right now would he have been able to. If Ni-ki were to wake up this second and ask him for a kiss, he’d wholeheartedly allow the other man to kiss him breathless, morning breath be damned.
That seemed unlikely though. When Ni-ki woke up and decided they should never talk about it again, Sunoo wouldn't protest. He could be a good hyung. He would act as if it hadn’t been a big deal. Even though it very much had been.
Sunoo felt his lower lip wobble, and he took a deep breath. He closed his eyes, and forced himself to relax. The sensation of Ni-ki’s breathing against his neck set the pace for his own, and slowly but surely he slipped away again.
***
Sunoo woke up a while later when someone climbed onto his bed. He blinked, feeling a bit disoriented.
When his eyes focused, he saw Ni-ki, hair slightly wet and sitting over him. At once, Sunoo felt himself snap awake, and he put his hands over his face.
“Ni-ki!”, he just said, embarrassed over being watched before he had even had a chance to wash his face clean from sleep.
“Morning hyung”, was the response he got.
Sunoo’s pulse quickened. God. Now, in the morning, he really felt the impact of that kiss sinking in. How could he ever think he’d be able to act normal?
Ni-ki spoke again.
“The shower’s all yours, hyung”.
Sunoo swallowed, glancing at his dongsaeng between his fingers. He looked normal. That was what made him let go of his face, barely able to suppress a sigh. He nodded, and sat up on the mattress. He shuffled to the end of the bed so he could set his feet down the side, and then got up on shaky legs.
He couldn’t even look at Ni-ki, not when he could feel his gaze on him while he stood there.
“Thanks for waking me up”, he simply said, and then began leaving the room, not waiting for a response. Cold shower, that was what he needed.
***
A bit over 15 minutes later, Sunoo made it back to the bedroom. He felt a bit better, after a shower, some skincare and with the taste of mint in his mouth. Although, he hadn’t seen the rest of the group. Had he missed something?
When he walked into the room, towel around his neck, he found Ni-ki still on his bed, laying down and scrolling on his phone. When he heard Sunoo enter, he looked away from his screen.
Sunoo swallowed at the sight, and then spoke.
“Where are the rest?”
Ni-ki hummed in response.
“Grocery shopping”.
Sunoo nodded.
“Ah”.
He wasn’t mad about being left to sleep in. Grocery shopping was tiring and no one ever wanted to get the things he liked. Sunoo stopped by his closet, opening it to dispose of his dirty laundry. He made one last swipe with the towel through his hair, and then threw it into the bin as well. He was gonna do laundry later anyway. Didn’t matter if it was still damp.
“Hyung”.
Sunoo turned to Ni-ki, who had put down his phone, having his full attention on him. Sunoo raised an eyebrow in response.
Ni-ki continued.
“Come”.
Sunoo blinked, and then felt his heartbeats pick up again. Despite himself, he started walking towards his dongsaeng, until he was in front of the bed. Ni-ki met his eyes, and Sunoo swallowed before sitting down next to where the taller boy was laying.
Ni-ki patted on the space next to Sunoo’s back.
“Lay down”, he said.
As if on autopilot, Sunoo compiled, laying down next to Ni-ki. It took all his courage to turn his face to the other boy, and he had to fight hard to not let out a choked sound upon realising how close their faces were like this.
“Ni-ki”, he simply said, voice coming out weird.
He held his breath, when the other turned over on his side, facing him straight. In a slow motion, Ni-ki lifted his hand, putting it against Sunoo’s cheek. Sunoo wondered if he could feel the heat they radiated.
Ni-ki let out a breath.
“Hyung, your skin is so soft”.
Sunoo swallowed, and remembered to breathe.
“Oh?”, was all he could get out.
His heart was pounding. This felt intimate, like last night. Ni-ki looking at him with those deep and dark eyes, as if he too wanted to…
“Kiss?”, his dongsaeng said, and Sunoo’s heart almost stopped.
He felt Ni-ki’s pulse against his cheek, and even though the younger one seemed to look collected, he had a small flush on his cheeks too. Ni-ki wanted to kiss him again? Sunoo thought he would explode.
He opened his mouth to respond, yes, of course, kiss me , but found he couldn’t get anything but another one of those embarrassing sounds he had let out the night prior. He closed his mouth quickly, and settled for nodding.
Ni-ki smiled at him then, and slowly leaned in.
It was just like he remembered, feeling Ni-ki’s soft lips against his. No, it was better . He let out a breath through his nose. It was so soft, so soft. It was everything .
When Ni-ki pulled back a few seconds later - was it seconds? Was time even real anymore? - Sunoo found he had closed his eyes upon the contact, and he opened them to look at the other boy.
He swallowed.
“What was that for?”, he asked, voice low.
He couldn’t help but lick his lips, and he didn’t miss the way Ni-ki’s eyes flickered down to follow the motion. It made his face feel even hotter.
“I just wanted to. Been thinking about it ever since last night, hyung”.
Sunoo let out a shaky breath.
“Really?”
Ni-ki nodded.
“Really”. He paused for a second, and then spoke again, sounding a bit less sure. “What about Sunoo hyung?”
In that moment, the want to be kissed again won over the fear of estrangement. It felt like a need. Now that he knew the taste of Ni-ki’s lips, he never wanted to forget.
Sunoo took a deep breath, trying to ground himself.
“Me too”, he simply said.
Ni-ki’s hand started caressing his cheek, and Sunoo felt himself almost melt. He blinked, and then looked into Ni-ki’s eyes, before leaning in slightly. Ni-ki caught on, and leaned in too, and their lips met. It stayed like that, soft and sweet, just touching of lips, but it was everything Sunoo wanted. The hot wetness of the night prior was good too, but this was sweeter. Weirdly enough, as if it was more intimate in a way.
When they finally broke apart, they looked at each other for a second, just breathing against each other’s lips. Then Ni-ki’s face split into a wide, toothy grin. It was the best sight Sunoo had ever seen. Then the taller boy hugged him close in a quick motion, pulling his body close.
“Hyung”, Ni-ki just said, breathing against his neck.
Sunoo couldn’t help but let out a giggle at the sensation of it. It tickled. He rolled over on his side too, and hugged Ni-ki back, pulling him flush against him. His heart felt like it would combust, and his smile was so wide it almost hurt. He closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of them both, just feeling content in the moment.
They hadn’t talked, not really, but at least he now knew for sure that Ni-ki didn’t mind his touch. He didn’t know what it meant, but he wouldn’t mind kissing Ni-ki until he truly knew.