Work Text:
Baam has been called many things throughout his climb in the tower. The most common were monster, or a god. Sometimes, it was both.
Khun completely disagrees with both sentiments. In the time he's known the boy who suddenly appeared in the Tower all those years ago, he's learned that Baam is many things. Is Baam powerful? Absolutely. Is Baam a monster or god? Absolutely not.
He was nothing like either of those words. He was so much more than that.
-
Baam is compassionate.
-
Baam...
Khun looked at the boy outside of the airship. He was just hovering, not moving a single inch. Khun felt his chest tighten as he quickly grabbed his coat and exited the ship, flying over to him on the top of his lighthouse.
"Baam!" he called as he neared him. Khun suppressed a shiver, bundling his coat tighter around him. The cold wind outside the Nest felt like it was cutting directly into his bones, even with the fire-fish inside of him. "Are you alright?"
Baam jumped slightly as he turned towards the sound of Khun's voice. "Khun..." As he turned to face him, Khun's heart dropped. Blood trickled down the left side of his face, although it seemed that the boy had yet to notice it. "White suddenly getting stronger... That was you, right? We made it out alive, but that was dangerous. Please give me a heads up next time."
"Baam I-, you-," he faltered. "That power is from the souls you took from White, isn't it? ... Are you actually alright?"
"I'm fine,” Baam replied turning to face him completely. “Actually, I feel like I'm overflowing with power. I'm sure I can go to the next wall right now-"
Baam's voice stopped as Khun opened his arms towards him. After a moment’s hesitation, he fell forward, burying his face into Khun's chest and bringing his arms up to wrap around him. Khun felt him shaking against him as he gently cradled his head.
"Everything's going to be okay,” he said below his breath. “The souls... they must have lent you their power because they knew you would put it to good use."
"But-"
"It's not your fault.” Bam’s hands clenched on his coat. “You were right. I revived White's power using the souls of those who died in this battle. And I didn't even think about them when I was gathering them; I didn't feel anything. White probably didn't either.” Khun exhaled, stroking the quivering boy’s head gently.
”The fact that you felt for them tells me that you're different. Don't you ever doubt that heart of yours." He felt Baam’s breath hitch, but he kept going.
"You know, I'm not that good at comforting people. But we don't have the professionals Urek or Yuri Jahad here to give cool speeches, so I'm doing it for you instead,” Khun finished, resting his chin lightly on top of his chestnut hair as he continued to comfort him.
"... Okay,” Baam whispered, his voice barely loud enough to hear. He was still shaking and clinging to Khun like he was the only thing keeping him grounded. Khun would stay there as long as he needed him.
-
Baam is a blanket hoarder.
-
It’s not unusual for Khun to have nightmares. In fact, it was almost nightly.
There were a wide variety of them, of course, and most he was able to shake off with just a few minutes of controlled breathing. But the worst ones he couldn’t shake that easily.
The one he had just awoken from was one of the later.
Khun bolted upright, gasping for breath. He clutched his sheets as his eyes darted around the room, before realizing that it had been a dream. He shuddered out a breath, gripping his shirt and trying to calm himself down. He rubbed his eyes, trying to wipe the image from his mind.
”Baam!” he yelled until his voice was raw. “BAAM!” he had screamed. But all he could do was watch as Rachel pushed him over the edge like she had all those years ago. Except there was no one waiting to save him at the bottom. Baam never survived the fall no matter how many times the scene repeated in his head, and Khun had always been forced to see-
Khun shook his head. He was going to go get some water.
Khun quietly slipped into the hallway. He glanced at the door to the room next to his as he passed it. He wanted to open it, to make sure that it really was all a dream. He wanted to make sure that he was safe, sleeping in his bed, and that Rachel or anyone else could never hurt him again. He wavered outside for a moment before moving on.
The door to the kitchen slid open almost silently. Khun narrowly avoided stubbing his toe on the table as he maneuvered his way to the back to grab a water glass. His hands were still shaking as he filled it up and drank from it. He set it down, gripping onto the edges of the counter. It was just a dream, Aguero. It was just a dream-
Khun’s head shot up to the sound of the door sliding open. Golden eyes immediately widened in surprised as they met his own. His dark brown hair was loose and disheveled; his face was pale. The two stared at each other in a daze. The name the came out of Khun’s mouth sounded like a prayer.
”Baam..?”
The spell on the room was broken as Baam closed the distance between them and pulled Khun into an embrace. Khun barely had time to register what was happening when Baam tightened his hold on him, hiding his face in Khun’s shoulder. His heart was pounding against his chest, something he was sure Baam could feel. He could feel the heat rushing up to his face, but fought it back as best as he could.
“B-Baam? Are you alright?”
Baam released him and Khun had to beat back the wave of disappointment. He looked into his eyes; he had been crying. The look Baam was giving him was one that someone would give a-
Oh.
Oh.
Of course.
Khun put a hand onto his shoulder. “... Did you have a nightmare?”
Baam opened his mouth and closed, trying to speak. But the words didn’t come out. He averted his gaze, clutching his wrist timidly. Khun quickly filled up his glass and handed it to the shaken boy. He smiled his thanks as he drank; he could see the slightest tremble in his hands.
”I’m sorry,” Baam said, breaking the silence.
“Don’t apologize.”
Silence returned to the room. Neither of them made a move. Both of them looked at each other like they could disappear at any moment. Finally, Khun moved forward and took Baam’s hand into his own. The two of them quietly made their way back to their rooms, hand in hand. They paused outside their doors.
”... Can I-?” Baam started, clearly fumbling for words. But Khun understood, and his heart skipped a beat despite his brain’s protests. He opened the door to his room, gently pulling in Baam after him. The two of them settled onto the bed, positioned so they could look at each other. Khun didn’t say a word, leaving it up to Baam to decide whether to fall asleep or talk about it.
A moment of silence passed before he spoke.
”It was right after the Hell Train.”
Ah.
”Do you have nightmares a lot?”
”Do you?”
”Hey, this isn’t about me right now.”
”You were in the kitchen too, looking like you had seen a ghost when you saw me.”
Khun had nothing to say to that. He laughed without any humor. “I guess we both have some issues, huh?”
”You didn’t answer my question.”
”Neither did you.”
Baam made a face at him and Khun couldn’t help but crack a smile. The tension in his muscles melted away as Baam suddenly fumbled for words. The lighting was poor, but he could swear he saw a flush on his cheeks.
Baam released a breath. “Almost every night,” he finally replied.
”Why did you never say anything?”
”Well, what about you?”
”Hah?”
”I answered your question, now you answer mine.”
”... almost nightly.”
Baam have him the look. Khun guessed he had that one coming.
“I didn’t want to bother anyone,” he sighed. “We have so much going on at once; I didn’t want to be another burden.”
”You could have come to me,” Khun said. Baam looked at him; Khun knew exactly what he was going to say next if he ended the sentence there. “I know, I know. I’m as guilty as you are-" Baam gave a quiet huff “-but you aren’t a burden to me. Ever. You can come to me for anything.”
”... Even if I interrupt your sleep?”
Khun sighed dramatically. “If it’s you, then I guess I have no choice.”
Finally, Baam smiled, if only a little. “The same goes for you, you know. I’m here for you.”
Khun returned the smile before rolling onto his back. “Well then, let me get back to sleep,” he deadpanned.
"Can't we just have a nice moment?”
"Nope. Sleep.”
He felt Baam gently kick his legs. He kicked back. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Baam looking at him with an expression he couldn’t quite read. It made his heart leap. With Baam beside him, sleep came quickly and softly, letting him rest through the rest of the night.
---
Before he knew what was happening, Khun had found himself moved into Baam's room.
Baam was the one had who had initially suggested the idea. Khun had found himself with either Baam at his door or himself at Baam's nearly every night. "Wouldn't it make more sense to just share a room and bed at this point?" Baam had asked, clearly sleep deprived, when he buried himself in the blankets of Khun's bed. Khun remembered nearly falling out of the bed and Baam realizing what he said about thirty seconds later, turning beet red.
Despite the protests of Khun's heart, they ended up doing that. Not without garnering suggestive comments from Rak and Hansung, of course, but Khun was far past the point of caring.
When Khun woke up gasping for breath, Baam was there to hold him and remind him to breathe. When Baam flailed and cried in his sleep, Khun took his hands in his own, rubbing circles with his thumb until he calmed down. When sleep was evading them, they had each other to talk to about nothing and everything. It was a nice arrangement. And if Khun secretly loved waking up to the sight of Baam asleep next to him, that was nobody else's business but his own.
-
Baam is kind.
-
Khun was not good with affection. That much he knew. He had never been physically or verbally affectionate, and he was self-admittedly terrible at comforting speeches and whatnot. Being emotionally vulnerable was an entirely separate headache he didn't want to try navigating, and if you had told him eight years ago that he would eventually have to, he would have called you insane. His family had never been keen on showing affection.
Baam, however, was.
Khun found this out slowly after Baam admitted his insomnia to him. Sure, Khun was already hyper-aware of Baam due to reasons that were absolutely not related to his feelings for his best friend, but he noticed Baam being more... touchy with him. He'd closer to him. He'd rest a hand on his shoulder, or his head. He'd lightly touch his back when passing behind him. Khun wondered if Baam was trying to kill him.
He sighed, running his fingers through his hair as he paced and read through news reports of the Tower. With the war going on, he felt like he couldn't keep up. His head was spinning with each new update and all he really wanted was to nap for the next one-hundred years or so. Khun rubbed his eyes, trying to will himself to focus. He heard footsteps approaching him-ones he immediately recognized were Baam's-and sighed again, in relief instead of exasperation. Baam's presence always relaxed him and he could really use-
His train of thought crashed and burned as he felt Baam's arms wrap around him from behind. Baam rested his chin on Khun's shoulder, peeking at the reports on the screens in front of him. "What's the update today?" he asked, his voice incredibly close to Khun's ear. Khun could feel the vibrations in his chest against his back and suddenly he felt like he was burning alive from the inside. Apparently Baam was trying to kill him whether he knew it or not.
This is it. This is how I die.
Baam tilted his head toward him -no! God, that's even worse!- and spoke again. "Khun?" he asked, his breath tickling his neck. Khun felt tremors run down his spine as he bit his lip to keep himself from saying anything he would regret.
Stabbed, had a bomb go off next to my heart, and this is what takes me down?
Suddenly, Baam jolted as he finally had a realization. "Sorry, am I making you uncomfortable?" he asked, slowly unwrapping his arms. "I'm so sorry, I didn't-"
Khun quickly grabbed his arms and wrapped them back around himself, fully leaning into the embrace. "Don't-," he started, trying to find the right words. "It's fine; it's nice, actually. I'm... just not used to it, that's all." He hesitantly intertwined his hand with one of Baam's, fighting back a smile as Baam returned the gesture.
Baam hummed in response, going back to looking over the reports. "So, how many crimes has Jahad's Army accused me of today?"
Khun laughed. "Not as many as I was expecting, honestly. Can't tell if that's a good or bad thing."
"How many of these have you read already?"
"You don't want to know the answer to that question, I guarantee it."
"... Has anyone told you to take a break?"
"Yes, several."
"Well add another person to the list, because you need to take a break."
"... Grab me something to drink and I'll consider it."
Baam released Khun -to his mild disappointment- and let his hand drag across his shoulders as he headed towards the kitchen. "I'll be right back," he said as he smiled before walking off like a man on a mission. Khun chuckled in fond exasperation. Not like he could ever say no to him; a break it was.
---
"... uero? Aguero, are you awake?"
Khun's eyes fluttered open. He lifted his head from the desk and looked around in a daze, the bridge of the airship illuminated only by the faint light coming from his lighthouse. He squinted, trying to remember how he had gotten there. They'd come back from a battle and he had needed to make repairs to his lighthouse and... now it was dark out. He must have fallen asleep working on it.
"... You're still half asleep, aren't you?" the voice asked again. Khun slowly turned in the direction of the voice, to see Baam standing next to him. His hair was down, falling loosely around his shoulders. Without thinking, Khun reached up to play with the end of it. Baam sighed, chuckling slightly. "You really are out of it."
"Hmm," was all Khun offered in reply.
"Come on. Let's go to bed."
Khun nodded, pushing himself to his feet before tripping and falling into Baam's chest as he caught him. If he had been slightly more coherent, he would have probably turned into a flustered mess, but instead he just groaned and buried his face in his chest. Baam laughed lightly, stroking the top of his head. "Don't worry, I've got you." Faster than Khun's sleep-hindered mind could process, he was being carried in Baam's arms as they headed towards their room. He blinked once before decided he was too exhausted to even get embarrassed. He rested his head against Baam's chest and started to drift off back to sleep again before a realization hit him.
"Baam?"
"Yes?"
"When did you start calling me Aguero?"
Khun felt him shrug as they continued down the hallway. "I don't really remember. Does it bother you?"
"No. Jus' wondering," he mumbled as drowsiness grabbed hold of him again. He felt something rumble gently, probably Baam's chest as he laughed at his slurred speech, before he was fast asleep again.
-
Baam is frustrating reckless.
-
Khun's heart dropped when he heard Endrosi over the Pocket.
"We're okay, but Baam took a bad hit in that last fight. He's not in serious danger anymore, but he cut it close," she'd told him, concern leaking into her voice despite how hard she probably tried to hide it.
He paced back and forth, the knot in his gut twisting with each passing minute. He fiddled with the bandage on his arm, a minor injury from an unexpected hostile encounter. He and Rak had made quick work of the poor sod who decided to attack them, but they'd managed to graze him with their knife. He felt the fire inside him stirring, but he didn't want to use it on himself unless he had to. He wasn't sure where the limit was with that fickle fish.
Rak scoffed at him. "You're going to make a trench in the ground if you don't stop pacing, Blue Turtle."
Khun glared at him and the others standing next to him. At least Shibisu, and even Hatsu, had the sense to look sheepish at his reaction. However, the crocodile was just too stubborn. He sighed, running his non-injured hand through his hair. He check his pocket again for any message from Baam's group. Nothing. Hwa Ryun's words echoed in his mind. "You lose your cool when Baam's involved."
She was right then and was right now. She was usually right, all things considered. That didn't mean he liked it.
He was going to go sit down.
Khun sat up against the ship, closing his eyes to try to quiet the noise in his head, to no avail. He was their strategist and schemer through and through; it was in his nature. It also meant it was in his nature to overthink every possible detail that could potentially go wrong. He repeated Endrosi's message silently to himself. He's not in serious danger anymore. He's not in serious danger anymore... He needs to stop putting himself in serious danger in the first place!
"Baam!"
Khun's eyes shot open as he flew to his feet, looking in the direction of the call. Shibisu was waving his arm at the blue disc in the sky carrying three people on it. It descended swiftly, Hockney and Endorsi quickly climbing off of it before helping the third member off. He was seriously injured; Khun could see the blood dripping from his arms as he landed on the ground.
The flames moved without his command, or rather, they responded to him subconsciously. They closed the distance, quickly finding their way to the injured man and closing up his wounds swiftly. The brown-haired man looked down in surprise before looking around frantically to find the source. His golden eyes locked with blue and his entire face lit up.
"Baam," Khun breathed, his feet moving of their own accord. He was running.
Baam moved to meet him, leaving Endorsi and Hockney behind. The smile on his face never faltered. He parted his arms, obviously preparing for a hug.
Khun didn't know what had come over him, but suddenly his hands were gripping the collar of Baam's jacket. Baam barely had time to react before their lips touched and Khun was kissing him.
Oh god.
Khun was kissing him.
Khun quickly broke away and took a step back. Baam's face was completely flushed and he was frozen in place. His eyes were wide he was staring at him with a look he couldn't quite read. Khun was busy thinking about how Endorsi was absolutely going to kill him in a few seconds, how he was probably going to also kill himself after she was finished, and how he was going to have to erase the memory of all the witnesses.
"Baam, I'm sorry I-" he said, taking another step back before Baam quickly grabbed his wrist, keeping him from escaping. He wanted to die right there. The two of them stared at each other for a moment, both completely red and surprised over what just happened.
Khun blinked and Baam's hands gripped his shirt, pulling him in. Baam was kissing Khun; he was kissing him back. Khun felt several things in his brain completely short-circuit. He returned the kiss, his heart pounding in his ears and face burning up.
Yep. Endorsi was absolutely going to kill him later.
Whatever.
When they pulled apart, Khun rested his forehead against Baam's, looking straight into his eyes. "Please, please stop making so many close calls," he whispered. Baam nodded, before kissing him again. This time, Khun was prepared.
-
Baam is protective.
-
When the spear came flying in his direction, Khun barely had enough time to react.
While it missed the target of his neck, Khun bit his tongue to swallow the cry of pain that threatened to escape him as the spear tore into his shoulder. With his good arm, he summoned an ice spear and hurled it at his attacker, but it missed. Thankfully, it distracted them long enough for him to hide out of sight. He ducked behind a crumbled wall, hissing in pain as he examined the wound. It... didn't look great. From the numbing sensation slowly spreading throughout his arm, he guessed the tip had been poisoned as well. Shit.
He tried to use the flames, but they wouldn't respond to him. He tried again, and again, but there was nothing. "Oh fuck off you stupid fish," he said under his breath, trying to figure out how to get out of this situation alive. He heard his assailant on the other side of the wall searching for him. Khun only had a few minutes at best.
Khun quickly stole a glance at his attacker. He nearly choked when he recognized who it was. It was Byung, the man they had been hunting down in the first place, the person Baam was set on finding and fighting. The man Evankhell warned Baam to be cautious around.
Khun was absolutely fucked.
His eyes darted around the room where he had been camped out. There weren't easily accessible exits; that was part of the reason he had chosen the place. In his defense, he didn't include a man crashing through the wall and hurling a spear at him into his preparations, but nevertheless, something to consider in the future. Maybe he should think about wall strength when-
Wait.
The walls.
Khun nearly slapped himself for how reckless and stupid the idea was, but it was the best he had. The room he had situated himself in was on the top floor of an abandoned tower; if he managed to break through them, he would be free-falling for forty-six stories if Byung really had destroyed his Lighthouse.
The sound of Byung destroying another wall with his spear made his decision for him. Free-fall it was.
Khun pressed his hand to the closest exterior wall, testing its strength. It was weak and dilapidated; his plan could possibly work. He summoned another ice spear, hoping and praying to whatever higher power who was listening -who wasn't Jahad- that he could break it. He swung its blunt end with all the might he could manage from his one arm, and suddenly he was faced with bright sunlight and howling winds.
Unfortunately, that seemed to alert Byung.
Before Khun could even get to the next phase of his plan, Byung was behind him with his hand around his throat. "So this is where you were hiding," he mused, fury dripping from every word. He backed Khun up so that his feet were at the very edge of the floor; one step back and he would be falling.
"What, did Baam scare you so badly that you had to come beat up a Lightbearer to boost your ego?" Khun spat, not daring to look at the fall below him.
"Oh," Byung snarled, his grip around Khun's throat tightening. "You're not just any old Lightbearer. You're that scheming bastard from the Khun family, aren't you?"
"Charmed, I'm sure." Even if Khun had nothing else, he had his snark.
"You've made my life infinitely more difficult," he growled. "But you've got some worth to keeping you alive instead of dead."
Sure didn't seem like it with how you were acting earlier, he thought, sparing a quick glance down. He saw the glint of something; the Lighthouse. Perfect.
"If I keep you alive, I can keep that Slayer-nominee off of my ass for a bit. If you're dead, I doubt there's any way out of this for me." Khun's eyes darted up, his shock clear on his face. Byung bared his teeth. "Oh, don't play dumb. I did my homework. I know exactly who's who on your little team and I know you and that wannabe-god are a 'thing'. If I kill you, that monster will murder me without hesitation."
Khun's bit back his words, trying to calm the wave of anger in him. He needed to focus. One misstep, and it would all be over. The poison coursing in his veins blurred his vision, but his glare was ice cold as he brought his hand up to grip the one around his neck. Byung visibly flinched as Khun froze his wrist. That was all he needed.
"Don't you dare think of using me against him," he hissed, swiftly kicking him in the gut. He pushed himself back, closed his eyes, and for a moment, he was weightless.
And then he was falling.
"AGUERO!"
Khun's eyes flew open. Golden eyes met his own as he was caught, not by the Lighthouse like he was expecting. Baam looked down at him, panic in his eyes, Shinsu-wings in all their glory. He caught me.
"Aguero! What happened? Why are you- are you smiling?!" Was he? He brought up a hand to his face. Ah, he was.
"Byung. He surprised me. Got me with his spear; this poison's going to knock me out in a few seconds," he managed, his vision blurring.
Khun watched as Baam's expression turned into one he had only seen twice before: pure rage. It sent a chill down his spine, even though he knew it wasn't directed at him. He would have felt sorry for the person at the receiving end of it if he hadn't stabbed him earlier.
The last thing Khun remembered was Baam cradling his head against his chest before he passed out.
---
When Khun came to, he almost wished he hadn't.
His body ached all over and his shoulder hurt like hell, but he was alive, so he'd take it. He looked around the room in a daze. He was in his old room, the one that had gone unused for months now, and the lights were off besides a lamp next to the bed. The fire-fish was floating above him and Khun felt like telling it off, but decided against it. Khun went to sit himself up before noticing one of his hands was currently occupied.
Baam had pulled up a chair next to his bed. He'd fallen asleep holding Khun's hand; his heart felt like it was going to melt. He loved this man with every fiber of his being. He gently squeezed his hand.
Baam's eyes shot open and met his. The poor boy nearly burst into tears when Khun smiled at him. "Hey," he said, his voice shaking.
"Hey."
"Please don't scare me like that again," he pleaded, voice tinged with distress. Khun gripped his hand in response. Baam helped him sit up, careful not to irritate his wounds.
Baam slowly wrapped his arms around Khun, taking great caution to be gentle. He brought his hand up to rest against Khun's chest, feeling his heart beat against. Khun felt him begin to shake and he let him bury his face into his chest. He gently ran his fingers through his hair, kissing the top of his head as he cried into his shirt. "I'm here, I'm here," he murmured, bringing his hands up to cup Baam's cheeks. He softly kissed away his tears.
"I thought I was going to lose you again-" Baam's voice cracked.
"I'm sorry," Khun whispered.
Baam shook his head, reaching his hand up to rest on top of Khun's. "It wasn't your fault."
They just stayed like that for a moment.
"We're going to the top together, right?" Baam's voice was barely loud enough to hear.
"Of course."
Khun brought his face closer and Baam's eyes closed, leaning into the kiss. It wasn't just a kiss. It was a promise.
-
Baam is home.
-
Baam was playing with his hands as Khun slowly began to drift off to sleep. The world felt like it was crumbling around him as they neared the top of the Tower. The Tower’s walls pressed in closer every day. But that didn’t matter when it was just the two of them. It was just them, in their bed, existing together and nothing else mattered. Khun released a contented sighed as Baam intertwined his hand with his own.
“Aguero.”
“Hmm?”
Baam’s hands tightened their grip around Khun’s. The drowsy boy opened his eyes to look at him. Baam was staring at him with an expression he couldn’t quite read.
“... will you stay with me?”
Khun softened his gaze. “Of course. We’re going to the top together, aren’t we?”
Baam bit his lip, averting his gaze. He took in a shaky breath; Khun felt it shudder across the mattress. “Sorry, I guess that was a bit vague.”
Khun raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, giving the boy across from him time to think.
“I guess what I want to ask is- ah-! No, that sounds too pushy... I really should have thought about how I was going to say this-“ he rambled before cutting himself off. He sighed deeply and tightened his grip on Khun’s hands.
“I want be with you for the rest of my life. I don’t want to think about a life without you there with me.”
“Baam-“
“I guess what I’m asking is... would you marry-?”
He was cut short as Khun wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close. Khun rested his chin on the top of his chestnut-brown hair, holding Baam as close to him as possible. “Are you sure you want me?” he asked, his shaking voice barely above a whisper.
“... are you sure you want me?”
Khun chuckled and gently placed a kiss on the top of his head. “I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.” He felt the tension in Bam’s shoulder melt away and his arms wrap around him, returning the embrace.
“Then yes. I’m one-hundred percent sure.”
"Let's just do it right now, then," Khun teased through the tears forming in his eyes.
Baam looked up at him, clearly trying to fight back tears as well. "Isn't there some sort of procedure for this?"
"We've never done things according to procedures and you want to start now?"
Baam laughed, causing Khun's heart to flutter in his chest. "That's fair," he responded, pulling Khun in to kiss him. "There," he whispered when they pulled apart. "We're married now. I do's and all."
Khun chuckled and ran his fingers through Baam's hair. "I do's and all. Eloquently put."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
---
Khun woke up the next morning to the sun glinting through the curtain, directly into his eyes. He muffled a groan into his pillow, trying to will himself back to sleep. The bed was comfortable - his husband was curled up next to him, radiating warmth like a heater - and his clock told him that it wasn't even six yet. But it was no use; sleep had escaped him. He sighed, turning on his side to look at the person asleep next to him. Khun watched Baam's chest rise and fall rhythmically with his deep breaths. He had his face nestled into the blanket and his bangs were sticking up at a strange angle. Khun smiled, gently brushing them back into place. Baam stirred, cracking open one eye.
"I'm fine. Go back to sleep, Baam," Khun murmured.
Baam barely managed a nod before drifting off back to sleep. Unfair, Khun thought.
Khun slowly slipped out of bed, careful not to disturb Baam. He quickly ran his fingers through his hair and made his way to the kitchen. He yawned, rubbing his eyes and cursing his internal clock. He did not pass anyone in the hallways; he assumed no one was up yet. When the door to the kitchen slid open, however, he found that he was incorrect.
Hwa Ryun stood at the sink, washing out a water glass. All things considered, Khun wasn't too surprised to see her awake. He seriously doubted that she slept in the first place. She turned to him, giving him a nod before reaching for a towel to dry the glass. He returned the nod and moved past her to grab a mug for coffee. He'd smelt it as soon as he walked in; she had probably gotten the pot started. Now he knew how Hansung had always managed to be on his third cup at seven every morning.
Khun sat down at the table, staring into his coffee. He wasn't quite awake yet.
He heard Hwa Ryun move past him, setting something down on the table. It was a small black box. He gave her an inquisitive look, which she responded to with a knowing one. She continued past him, making her way to the door. He cracked open the box, peering at the contents. Two gold rings stared back at him. They were simple; discrete. He was also sure they were wedding rings. He looked up at her with a start.
"Hwa Ryun," he called. She paused in the doorway, looking over her shoulder at him.
"... Thanks."
Her face softened into what might be the closest thing to a genuine smile she'd ever made. She waved him off and let the door close behind her.
Khun smiled at the rings in his hand. Swiftly, he pocketed the box took a sip of his coffee. It was sweeter than he remembered it being. He looked down in mild confusion, only to see that he had made it the way Baam liked it.
He paused.
Then he broke out laughing.