Chapter Text
The post-concert adrenaline is slowly simmering down – the cheering of the fans lingers in the back of their minds, their bodies are cooling down, and exhaustion is taking over them.
One after the other, the boys exit the concert venue and get into the tinted-window van waiting for them. Mark hops onto the front seat while the remaining six get in the back. Jackson crawls into the rear seat, leans his head against the window and is snoring before they even leave the parking lot. (He should really take a break and get some rest...). Jinyoung gets sandwiched between Yugyeom and Bambam in the midsection of the van, and quickly regrets it – they spend the whole ride on their phones, the light blinding Jinyoung's weary eyes. Without any other options, Jaebum and Youngjae take the rear seats next to Jackson.
Youngjae pulls his phone and earphones out of his pockets, hoping to relax a bit on their way to the hotel. Jaebum looks out the window, noticing how the driver misses the exit that would take them to the hotel – he knows too well by now that, for security reasons, the drivers always take one or two detours along the way in order to shake off their tail any possible stalker.
Jaebum is so focused on the world outside the van that he doesn't feel Youngjae nudging his side. It isn't until he feels something poking his ear that he comes back his senses – it's Youngjae trying to fit one of his earphones in his ear. He smiles, tired, and takes the earphone. Youngjae rests his head against Jaebum's shoulder, this time making the older smile wider and brighter. Jaebum presses a kiss to the top of Youngjae's head, ignoring his sweaty smell – everyone in the van stinks but they've all grown so used to it by now that no one complains anymore.
The interior of the van is too dark for Youngjae to see anything other than the dashboard lights in the distance – in a distance that is starting to get more and more distant according to Youngjae’s drowsy eyes. He blinks tiredly, the lights begin to blend together, and when he’s about to snooze, he feels Jaebum’s hand gently squeezing his leg, right over his knee. He places his hand on top of Jaebum's and slowly, their fingers intertwine. Jaebum smiles when Youngjae noses further into the fabric of his jacket, now using his shoulder as a pillow and not as a headrest.
By the time they reach the hotel, Youngjae is drooling on Jaebum’s jacket – he doesn’t care. Youngjae grunts when he’s told that they’ve arrived and it takes him a little to peel away from Jaebum’s warmth. Their manager hands them the keycards and wishes them goodnight just before they enter their respective rooms.
Jaebum strips off his jacket and drops it somewhere along the way to the beds. He lies down and toes off his sneakers as he adjusts his head on the pillow. Youngjae grabs his things and walks to the bathroom. They don’t need to discuss about who’ll shower first – if Youngjae lays in bed, he won’t wake up till morning and Jaebum refuses to share a bed with a stinky Youngjae. (In a similar way, Youngjae wouldn’t share a bed with a stinky Jaebum either.)
“Hyung?” Youngjae calls softly, lightly patting his chest. “Jaebumie?”
Jaebum’s eyes flutter open and he meets a damp-haired, soap-scented Youngjae hovering over his face. He smiles, eyes barely open.
“You smell nice,” he mumbles, gently tugging on the collar of Youngjae’s tee, pulling him down.
Youngjae blows out a breath of air, not quite a laugh but close – Jaebum is the cutest when he’s sleepy. He leans down and presses his lips on Jaebum’s. “And you still stink. Go take a shower.”
“Yes, Sir,” he smirks. Youngjae laughs now.
Jaebum laces an arm around Youngjae’s waist and sits up in bed. Once up on his feet, arm still snaked around Youngjae’s waist, Jaebum puts a chaste on the side of his neck.
“Stop,” Youngjae squirms, his toes wiggle. “You know I’m ticklish.”
“Doesn’t mean that you don’t like it,” Jaebum tells him, peppering his neck with soft kisses.
“Go take a shower,” Youngjae says mid-giggling, nudging Jaebum away by jerking back his hip.
Jaebum comes back from showering to find Youngjae sitting cross-legged in bed, lips slightly pouted, his entire attention devoted to the game on his phone. Jaebum grabs his own phone and puts their playlist playing. He walks over to Youngjae whose attention at this point was no longer on the game. Jaebum stretches his hand at Youngjae and pulls him off bed and into his arms. The song is no ballad but it’s slow enough for them to slow-dance to it.
“Wait,” Youngjae says, quickly untangling himself from Jaebum’s hold. Jaebum looks back to see where he’s going – the lights go off and then Youngjae is back in his arms again.
They smile, they kiss, they are the happiest like this.