Work Text:
After stretching with a low groan (or as low as he could manage, really), Chanhee pressed both his palms on the wall right behind his desk, pushing hard against it on a frail attempt at stopping his back pain.
The cover he’d been editing for the past 3.5 hours was nowhere near done and he had to send it to the company tomorrow if he wanted it to be publish on the weekend.
Great.
With a sigh, his eyes travelled from the celling to his cellphone. At some point, it had buzzed, he thought he remembered, but he had pointedly ignored it, knowing that if he unlocked it, he’d be subtracting two hours of sleep from his already long working night.
However, he was on his limit, every single note sounded the same coming through his headphones and if he had to listen to the same lyrics one more time, he’d probably be killing someone—Eric, most likely, thanks to the short distance. The boy could sleep through anything, including, surely, his own murder.
After peeking at his lucky and sleeping roommate, Chanhee grabbed his cell.
The kkt message was from Younghoon.
빵형~
don’t overwork yourself
Of course he would say something like that. Smiling to himself, the blonde clicked quickly, knowing that, no matter how late it was, Younghoon would see it tomorrow morning.
no worries hyung, i’m fine, craving some ramyeon
And he really was. Chanhee wasn’t supposed to know Eric had some inside one of his drawers but, then again, their youngest wasn’t the best when it came to hiding things.
While he was considering if the screams he would get from him in the morning were worth it, his phone buzzed again.
He frowned.
Was someone awake outside and had heard him ruffling around?
빵형~
juyeon bought some, meet me in the kitchen
The blonde blinked. Younghoon was, in every sense of the word, a grandpa. He went to sleep before 11 every night, he ate very healthy and would never distract anyone from doing work, even less if that someone was Chanhee.
It was 2.15 am and his best friend should’ve been sleeping for over three hours by this point. He should also sleep instead of cooking. No, scrap that, he should finish his song before doing anything else.
And yet.
Realising he was cold, he picked the hoodie against which his back had been resting, put it on, pocketed his phone and walked out.
The dorms at night were always surreal, they had this strange fairy tale feel he’d never been able to explain. When Kevin wasn’t walking around, too stuffed inside his head to notice someone else was staying awake way later than they should, both the living room and the kitchen were submerged on this strange, otherworldly silence, disturbed only by the mumbled coming from inside the closed doors or the water running in one of the bathrooms.
It gave Chanhee peace but not enough to cut his actual sleeping hours.
Younghoon was standing next to the sink, resting his hips agains the counter. How wasn’t he freezing on his shorts and tee? Chanhee would never understand.
“Considering the couch was clear, was Sunwoo being too noice?”
His best friend looked at him, smile taking over his face and turning into a soft expression.
“Actually, he was cuddling with Kev last I checked.”
“So, you awake because…”
The blonde took the plastic package from the taller boy, pretending to read the instructions he didn’t need as he waited for an answer.
Younghoon shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep. Also, I was worried you were slowly killing yourself by forgetting to do basic things like get warm or eat, you’re like that when you’re too focused on work.”
The blonde could feel his cheeks heating up because yes, that was exactly what had happened. They’ve been friends for almost 5 years so it made sense for the older to know him this well but, then again, wasn’t that a bit too precise?
But Chanhee could clearly imagine Younghoon laying on his bed, earphones one, listening to some podcast about plants or maybe some obscure indie artist none of them had ever heard of, his eyes closed and his breathing steady, one hand over his stomach, the other laying limp on his left.
Should he’d been able to see it this well, knowing it was accurate?
Probably, probably not.
The electric kettle would’ve been way too noice for 2 in the morning so, instead, the shorter boy took a pot, filled it water and turned on one of the stoves.
He’d always though how strange it was for the tiny window on top of the sink to be able to provide the entire kitchen with light. It was nothing like during the day, where the sunlight made any artificial light unnecessary, but it was enough to be able to move even with the lights off.
The moonlight, the street lights, the neighbour, the cars passing by, everything helped.
In between their burners and the microwave, there was an empty counter space. Well, lies, it hosted their coffee machine but it had enough free space to jump on top and sit. Sangyeon always screamed at the youngers for doing so, which meant Chanhee refrained for attempting it when their leader was close, but right then, it was no one but him and Younghoon.
The granite was cold and he hissed when the naked part of his thigh made contact, earning himself a soft chuckled from his best friend. With an eye roll he was sure the other didn’t see, he dragged himself to the border of the counter, grabbing at it with one of his hands and using the other to throw the ramyeon towards Younghoon.
With a fake huff, his best friends stepped forwards, grabbing at it.
“Idiot,” he mumbled.
Chanhee just smiled.
Just like he had, the taller boy turned the container over, pretending to read what was written and giving the blonde the perfect opportunity to look him over.
Not once since they’ve met had the younger seen him with his hair messy, even after waking up, it looked okay. It was a very Younghoon thing, somehow.
Like it was nothing, the dark haired rested his free hand on Chanhee’s skin, originating a heat centre that extended all over his leg and then body. Maybe it was nothing, maybe two months ago it’d have been nothing, but now, now it was everything.
With his own free hand, the blonde covered his mouth, hiding his grin for Younghoon, who was still looking at the plastic like it had the answers to the universe.
He was so, so pretty.
“How’s the song?”
He could’t help but groan at the question, this time earning himself a louder chuckle and a caress from the other’s thumb.
“I’m sick and tired of it and I thing I’ll end up deleting the whole file, if I don’t smack my laptop against the floor first.”
“And that’s why you need a break.”
Truth was that yes, Chanhee had needed this break. Still, his mind kept telling him that he wouldn’t be done in time if he took it, so he got even more stressed just by thinking about it, which made him need the break even more, which made him fall into a spiral of desperation.
Kevin usually deceived his as anxiety but Chanhee wasn’t sure they were the same. Whatever they were, he couldn’t stand them.
“How was your day?”
Younghoon glanced at him for a second before going back to the package, starting to pull at the side.
“Well…”
The older talked about his afternoon, what he’d done, how he’d asked Changmin for some help with their newest choreography, how he’d come and gone from the company at least 4 times.
At the same time as their chat went on, Younghoon had turned around and dropped the pre-made mixture inside the boiling water.
He had moved barely an inch while doing that, allowing Chanhee to extend his left feet and nuzzle right where his shorts ended. It wasn’t much, it could barely be considered something he wouldn’t do with some of the other members, but it was enough.
“Idiot,” he mutter at something said, getting the older back.
Younghoon took the final step that was keeping them apart, flickering his forehead way too softly to be anything but a pinch. Chanhee, however, brought both his hands to cover the spot, flinching his face.
The older boy grinned, using his folded index finger to move Chanhee’s face up by the chin.
Thanks to the blonde’s added centimetres by the counter, they were the exact same height. With one feet still on Younghoon and the other pressed against the wood of the cabinet, he pushed forwards just the tiny bit he needed to make the annoying space between disappear.
Of course Younghoon tasted like their toothpaste, minty and fresh and familiar yet so new. His lips were soft, maybe as much as his cheeks, which Chanhee was pressing his palm against now.
It was the exact same boy he loved to tease, to hug and to make happy. There were the same lips he’d seen smile and fall and sing the most amazing lyrics. It was the same face he’d seen frown when he couldn’t catch the fish he wanted on Animal Crossing and shine brightly when he won rock, paper, scissors. It was the exact same soul he’d liked since the second he’d met and for which he had been slowly falling for during the past months. Or maybe years.
With a soft motion, Younghoon grabbed at the back of his neck, those big yet delicate hands that Chanhee adored to grab all the time, making the younger drop his head a little to the side and a little more to the front, catching that beaming smiling with his mouth once more, mixing it with his own.
It wasn’t magical, whatever that meant, but it was special.
When Younghoon pulled away, he brought the hand he had resting next to Chanhee’s body up, poking the smaller boy’s nose.
Chanhee was suddenly very thankful for his stupid cover and ever more to Juyeon’s bland ramyeon.
“Do I want to know?”
Sunwoo was standing by their table, rubbing his obviously sleepy eyes. Behind him, Kevin yawned, his black hair all over the place.
“Hee wanted ramyeon.”
“At 2am?”
“I’m finishing my cover, hopefully.”
Kevin nodded while walking over to the fridge. It looked like Sunwoo was going to say something, most likely about their proximity, but instead he looked over at the pot.
“Can I have some?”
“Sure,” the other two muttered at the same time before turning to each other and chuckling.
Younghoon’s smile like this, in the middle of the night, after a kiss while cooking, was Chanhee’s new favourite sight.