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Sehun takes another phone, this time from someone who he thinks is Yoora’s friend and smiles at her. “Does your friend want to be in the picture too?” Both women nod and pose with him, and they are cute so he smiles a bit wider then returns the phone.
When he turns around, he sees Yoora and Chanyeol talking. Yoora is holding Chanyeol’s hand again. Chanyeol looks dashing, in his black suit pants and white shirt. He’s lost the jacket and his shirt sleeves are rolled up, the guitar tattoo Sehun can see a stark difference against the white fabric. He’s even died his hair back to black just for Yoora. People have been swooning over him through the whole day, but today Chanyeol doesn’t preen under the attention. He’s bashful and keeps looking at Yoora or for Yoora all the time. He’s somehow, even as he smiles and greets people enthusiastically and plays the role of perfect younger brother to the bride, quiet.
Sehun knows it’s a lot. Though he’s not sure he can imagine what Chanyeol’s feeling, exactly. They’ve always been close though, Yoora and Chanyeol, tight and supportive of each other, so Chanyeol must be proud and excited but maybe, just a little, wistful and nostalgic. Chanyeol has a big heart, and he’s far from detached from his emotions.
Yoora laughs at something Chanyeol says to her, and Sehun intercepts a lady who was coming to them with a camera, as inconspicuous as he can, pretending he thought she was walking towards him. He takes another picture, gives another sign, even talks to her about how pretty Yoora is and lets her gush about the beautiful siblings. He honestly agrees, anyway. When the lady leaves, forgetting her original intentions, Sehun catches Chanyeol looking at him with a secret kind of smile. He shrugs and goes to see if there is any more of that desert because he may not have a sweet tooth, but all the food at this wedding is just too good.
Chanyeol finds him a bit later, still chewing.
“You could leave too, you know,” he says. “You don’t need to keep posing with all our guests.”
“Well, I know I’m stealing your spotlight, hyung, but no need to kick me out.” Sehun mock pouts, and Chanyeol only scrunches his nose.
“You know what I mean.”
“I do, but it’s almost over anyway, right?” Sehun gestures around them, the tables much emptier now, many guests slowly picking up their things and saying their goodbyes. “The food was, still is, great, and you know the others would have stayed if they could, too. It’s no problem. We all like Yoora, it’s an honor to be here.”
He touches Chanyeol’s waist, for just a moment, to reassure him. What he’s not saying is that he thinks Chanyeol could use a bit of support himself. That Sehun wants to stay for him, and help carry the weight of social responsibilities and expectations. Yoora is almost like family by now, with how close Chanyeol’s become to Sehun over the years, and it’s no trouble at all socializing with the guests here. Sehun knows they all are family, or friends, or colleagues, people Yoora and her now husband really wanted here.
“Fine,” Chanyeol says in the end and looks around the big room. Sehun chuckles a bit because Chanyeol finds his sister first, then his mom, and then he clearly wonders where to head off, who he still has to greet.
“Are you going home after this?” Sehun asks, distracting Chanyeol again. “With your parents?”
Chanyeol shakes his head. “We have a schedule tomorrow, and I think they want a bit of solitude, maybe?”
“I think your mom wouldn’t mind pampering her son a bit after this,” Sehun ponders, but Chanyeol only shakes his head one more time.
“We talked about it. So if you stick around, I’ll give you a ride back to the dorms.”
Sehun only nods. “Let’s pick up some soju on the way.”
That makes Chanyeol laugh. He hasn’t touched alcohol all day other than the congratulatory cheers and that was, by now, hours ago. Sehun thinks he should celebrate a bit even if neither of them wants to be hungover the next morning. Chanyeol doesn’t say anything more and heads over where his mom is talking to some guests. He comes close and wraps his arm around her, squeezes. Sehun only chuckles to himself and sets out on a quest to please some more guests himself.
“Look at you,” Sehun laughs when Chanyeol finally walks up to him in the hallway, ready to leave. His jacket is over his shoulder and his tie is crooked. Sehun reaches out and fixes the knot. “Who did you snog in the dark corner?” he jokes. Chanyeol blinks and reaches into his hair as if checking it, and it was a bit messed up before, but now it is a complete mess. Chanyeol’s ears are pink.
“Don’t be silly,” he huffs. Chanyeol only got a wet kiss on the cheek from Yoora as a goodbye, and a ruffle to his hair. Sehun knows this, but he raises an eyebrow teasingly anyway.
“Ready to leave?” he asks, and Chanyeol leads the way to the garages where his car is.
Sehun is the one that runs out of the car to get the alcohol on their way. He gets a bottle of soju and a bottle of makgeolli, figuring it might be the night for it. When he returns, the bottles cling together in the plastic bag and Chanyeol only looks down at it for a moment before he starts the car again.
They end up in Chanyeol’s studio instead of the dorms. When Sehun realizes where Chanyeol is driving and turns to ask, Chanyeol only shakes hair out of his eyes and says, “It’s more quiet there. We can take a taxi back to dorms later.”
Or sleep on the tiny couch Chanyeol keeps there and drive back early in the morning. It wouldn’t be the first time for Sehun and certainly not for Chanyeol.
The studio is tiny, and Sehun pulls up a chair and sits down, watches as Chanyeol frets, turning the PC and the keyboard on, moving on autopilot. He sighs a little as the PC boots and before he sits down, he pulls at the tie, taking it off, and opens a few buttons on his shirt.
“Everyone seemed to have enjoy themselves,” Sehun says to fill the silence when Chanyeol finally collapses into his own chair.
“Yoora looked very pretty,” Chanyeol adds.
“And happy,” Sehun assures. Chanyeol runs a hand down his face and nods. Sehun doesn't think he is going to cry, but it’s a possibility. He opens the soju bottle and hands it to Chanyeol just like that.
“Cheers, to her happy married life,” he says, and Chanyeol takes a swing and gives Sehun a small smile.
“Thanks maknae,” he teases, and Sehun rolls his eyes and gets up to look for some glasses. He doesn’t find the soju kind, but it’s whatever, so he pours both of them more alcohol.
Chanyeol plays with the music in the meantime, and it’s not a heavy silence that settles between them, but Sehun gets antsy anyway. He’s not one to sit still with absolutely nothing to do, but here there’s no dog to pet, no game to play on the PC, nothing to watch. They’ve played here a lot before when trying to put together We Young the way they would like it, practicing. But there is no project now, and he finds himself replaying the choreo to their new song in his head, moving his head and arms a little.
“Oh, that just makes me nervous,” Chanyeol laughs suddenly, and Sehun realizes Chanyeol’s watching him.
“We can dance this in our sleep, even you. Plus you like the song,” Sehun shrugs.
“Sehunnie,” Chanyeol starts then bites his lip. Sehun rolls his chair closer.
“Are you getting emotional on me again? You should drink more then,” he says, and Chanyeol chuckles.
“I’m just trying to thank you, I suppose.” Chanyeol reaches out, fingers circling Sehun’s knee and sliding higher on his thigh. Sehun watches Chanyeol’s big hand, Chanyeol’s face, his eyes hidden behind too long fringe. Chanyeol’s worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. It’s wet and plush now and inviting. Sehun spent the whole day not thinking about Chanyeol, handsome and sweet. About how Chanyeol would no doubt want to have a wedding like this, but he might never get to do so, and about how if it was up to Sehun, he’d make sure it happened anyway--somewhere far away from cameras and where Chanyeol could fully enjoy it. It’s silly because Chanyeol isn’t even his, even if maybe, Sehun wishes he was.
“It was nothing, really,” he says instead, threading his fingers through Chanyeol’s on his leg. Chanyeol rubs his thumb over the skin on the back of Sehun’s hands.
“Don’t say that. It means a lot, and ... ” Chanyeol looks up and trails off. They’re so close like this, and Sehun tilts his head. Chanyeol reaches out his other hand and cups Sehun’s cheek. Sehun leans into the touch, not really knowing what to expect. Chanyeol could just pull away, or they could stay like this for a while. Chanyeol is warm and comfortable.
Out of all the possibilities, Chanyeol actually moves closer. Sehun watches, unmoving, until the moment Chanyeol's lips brush against his, just lightly. Chanyeol pulls back, just a fraction then, gives Sehun the choice. Sehun thinks Chanyeol should know by now that Sehun’s not going to pull away. He presses forward.
It’s a soft kiss still, only a hint of tongue, and held breaths. It’s not their first one, but it never leads to more, and they never talk about it. Sehun doesn’t understand why and when he started wanting to kiss Chanyeol. But the past year, he’s been unable to stop the thought until one day he leaned over to try it. He didn’t expect Chanyeol not to run away.
The music Chanyeol put on earlier stops playing, and Chanyeol pulls back. He blinks and then turns back to the PC to put something else on. Sehun just sighs. They really should figure out what is going on. Sehun rationally thinks it’s silly, and unhealthy, this limbo they are in. But it’s not all bad, and it’s better than if it stopped completely.
“Hey,” Chanyeol says then. He spins to face Sehun again, surprising once more, and pulls at the armrests of Sehun’s chair to roll it closer.
“I just didn’t want the room to be quiet,” he explains, and then both of his hands are on Sehun’s thighs.
“Chanyeol,” Sehun says, wonders if he really wants to bring this up now. “Maybe we should--”
“I know,” Chanyeol interrupts. “We will talk, but. Just, today was kind of exhausting. But I also kept thinking about it, how nice it is that Yoora’s found someone who loves her that much and who she gets to love. How I want all that too, one day.” Chanyeol fidgets, pulls his bottom lip into his mouth again but continues when Sehun stays silent, not knowing what to say, really. “And somehow I can’t imagine how it would be if you weren’t around today. It really, really meant the world you came, and stayed, so I figured that has to mean something. If the way I want to kiss you all the time isn’t indication enough. So like … yes, let’s talk about it, but hopefully I didn’t just scare you and we can kiss some more first.”
Sehun wants to laugh, or tease. But he knows how today was, how Chanyeol’s been on the verge of being overwhelmed for hours now. Besides, just the fact they may have been thinking about the same things, at least in part, is enough for now. Chanyeol did opposite of scare him with his little speech, so Sehun spreads his legs to accommodate Chanyeol’s knees between them and slides forward on his chair.
“I think that’s a great plan,” he says and leans in for another kiss. He can feel Chanyeol sigh into it then smile, and he dares to kiss harder for it.
The couch is too small for both of them, and too short, but they make it work. Chanyeol is completely unashamed about wanting to be cuddled, and he falls asleep with his head hidden in Sehun’s chest. Sehun doesn’t have a clue what tomorrow will bring. But for now he is content, wearing the hoodie Chanyeol dug out somewhere in his studio for him after he too changed out of his shirt for the night. Sehun has his arms wrapped around Chanyeol too, and Chanyeol is gripping his waist so Sehun doesn’t fall off the couch. It feels different than the other times they hugged, because Sehun’s lips are swollen from kisses, and Chanyeol’s clinging openly.
Chanyeol’s breath evens out and he falls asleep first, having truly been drained. Sehun listens to his breathing and remembers Chanyeol’s soft expression as he watched the ceremony earlier. He remembers the way Chanyeol turned back at one moment and caught Sehun’s eyes with his, and he dares to be hopeful. The kiss and don’t ask phase was not so bad, and it was something Sehun clung to for fear of worse if he pushed. But he’s ready for it to end. He’s ready to love again, love Chanyeol. They’ll figure it out.