Work Text:
If anyone were to ask Hyeok-u what he liked most about being in a relationship, he’d answer the cuddle sessions. Sure, there were a multitude of reasons that Hyeok-u loved his relationship with Mun, but there was nothing that matched the serotonin boost a good cuddle session could bring. The warmth of another person, the soft pets to his hair, the silence that didn’t need to be filled cause they were relaxing. He couldn’t think of one singular cuddle session that wasn’t in some way emotionally healing. It helped that most of them took place in Mun’s room, all soft colors and blankets. It was a mess more often than not, but an endearing one. Drawings, and drawing supplies, strewn about ever available (and unavailable) surface. The various books and CDs filling his book shelf, the frankly insane amount of blankets, pillows, and general stuffed items he owned. It was all so unlike Hyeok-u’s old room with it’s cold empty corners and muted colors. He found the clutter comforting, undeniable proof that someone lived there. His bed wasn’t the biggest, struggling especially when they first tried to fit both of them on it, but that just gave them the excuse to cuddle closer. Sure, they were two grown boys trying to fit on a full size bed but after removing a bunch of pillows it was easier. His favorite afternoons were the ones they both spent asleep. It was so simple, wanting to fall asleep with Mun next to him, but it was a luxury they couldn’t always afford. For an assortment of reasons they didn’t always get to see each other everyday, no less have the time for a nap, so the time they got to spend together was always treasured.
Another thing they’d do in their shared afternoons together, or whenever Mun felt like it, was listen to music together. It was a common occurrence seeing Mun toting around his, frankly, old CD player. It was always out when he was working on something: his webcomic, his school work, studying, you name it. He also had an array of earbuds, very talented at losing one pair only to find it days later. Hyeok-u also noticed he had certain CDs he’d play when he was in certain moods, and ones he listened to most often. Mun’s CD collection was impressive, starting when he inherited all his parents CDs (and there were a lot ) and growing when he started having his own pocket money to spend. The impressive amount of CDs he owned had been one of the things Hyeok-u had questioned him about the first time he’d seen his room. Mun had explained that after his parent’s deaths he felt most connected to them whenever he would listen to the music they left, and the obvious connection with his mother’s CD player. When he mentioned it being his mother’s, Hyeok-u had been struck with a wave of guilt at how he had treated it when they first met. He’d done a lot of things he regretted, but if he had ever been the cause of it breaking he wasn’t sure he’d be able to forgive himself. Mun, after seeing the guilt struck look on his face, reassured him that he'd forgiven the other boy for how he acted.
The first time they shared earbuds, sitting back to front on Mun’s bed so the smaller boy could explain first how the cd player worked, it was a cold february afternoon. They’d hadn’t seen each other in a few days and they missed the warmth the other provided fiercely. It was one of the softer moments Hyeok-u cherished, Mun’s quiet excitement every time one of his favorite songs came on, watching the other boy just enjoy the music, and especially the small anecdotes he would share about the CD or a specific song every once in a while. They worked through Mun’s parent’s CDs first, the songs ranging from city pop to trot to some rock (which Mun had happily proclaimed as his mother’s, explaining how much she loved rock to the surprise of his father). It was only as they got more into Mun’s music that the excited boy got more hesitant. Hyeok-u had noticed it almost immediately, as Mun stood at his shelf for longer than he had before. He, too, got up and wrapped him in a hug joining him in staring at the shelf.
“Having trouble deciding?” He spoke softly, as to not startle Mun. He just huffed in response, dropping the hand he had on his chin.
“I just...you promise not to judge me right?” He looked up at Hyeok-u after saying that, meeting the slightly confused eyes of his boyfriend. He wasn’t sure where Mun was going with that, he hadn’t thus far why would he now? Plus, he’d learned better than to judge before fully knowing. Sure, he still had his reservations and preconceived notions but this was something that Mun loved , he wasn’t about to start shitting on it for no reason. He still hadn’t answered the other boy, still sort of thinking Mun was joking.
“No? No, wait, yes I promise not to...judge you? Unless it’s something very weird then I can’t promise I won’t be weirded out,” his words seemed to, in the least, assure Mun that he wouldn’t make fun of him. So, as he chuckled at Hyeok-u's concerned tone at him playing something odd, he pulled down an innocuous dark green album. The words printed on front, in what looked like pink chalk, are Skool Luv Affair. It looked like a normal album he’d see in a store, nothing weird. Yet, he could still see a little shake in Mun’s hands as he carefully took the CD out from where it had been protected by the hard shell of the album. After he had it secured in the CD player and replaced the album in it’s spot, he dragged Hyeok-u to their abandoned spot on the bed. They resettled in their positions, silently readjusting until they were comfortable and both had one earbud each. It was always so intimate, sharing the earbuds. Mun fiddled with the player a bit, Hyeok-u resting his chin on the nervous boy’s shoulder and just watched. Soon, the opening notes to the first track started. It was nice, different from the other music they’d listened to previously. It was more modern pop, the skits that interrupted the flow pretty funny, and the general vibes fun. It wasn’t until the next track, Boy in Luv, that he recognized the artist. It wasn’t hard to recognize it, the group having blown up in popularity in the past few years.
“Oh! I know this artist, BTS right?” He got a nod, and a small smile, from Mun as the next skit started. They sat enjoying the next song as well. It isn’t until the fourth song that he starts to feel that maybe Mun was showing him more than just some music he enjoyed. And then Tomorrow started. He didn’t notice right away, but as the song progressed and the boy in his arms started to get shakier, he noticed the tears gathered in Mun’s eyes. He tried to get him to stop the music, to talk to him about what's wrong, but he just got waved away. A soft ‘let’s finish the album’ stopped him from prodding further. The song continued, the lyrics hitting him with the pain he could feel the singer expressing. The track after is more rage filled, and he knew he would’ve loved this had he found it as a kid. The next few tracks are, in his opinion, just as good. He enjoyed every song, the music maybe not something he would’ve sought out otherwise but it was good nonetheless.
The album closed on a song he could only describe as sweet, something he could feel radiating with school yard love. It was probably his favorite, the mood a lot sweeter than the previous ones. It wasn’t until the last note played and the silence filled their earbuds did Hyeok-u try to get Mun to look at him. He could hear the sniffling coming from him, wanting to either listen to him or comfort him. It was awkward for a couple seconds as he turned Mun towards him, wiping at the tears that had escaped from his eyes, and making sure the CD player and connected earbuds were out of the way of their flailing limbs.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Hyeok-u knew Mun had a habit of bottling things up and letting them fester until he couldn’t take it. He never wanted to force them out of him but sometimes letting him breakdown in a controlled area was better than risking it happening in a space he wasn’t comfortable. That’s why he’d ask, allowing Mun to choose how much he shared.
“I’m ok, really. It’s just...I had very little of my parents after the accident. You know how much the CD player means to me and I guess my grandparents saw that too. It was only a few months after the accident that they bought me my first CD that wasn’t one I’d gotten from my parent’s stuff.” It was then, he realized why Mun had gotten so emotional while listening to this CD specifically.
“...It was this one wasn’t it?” Mun smiled while he nodded, a bit of his boundless joy returning.
“Yeah! It got me through a lot, not just those first few months. I think you could understand why I loved it so much,” he had a teasing tone now, and Hyeok-u knew he was referencing one of the last tracks that must have been something Mun related to, with the lyrics about money and being bullied for the lack of it.
“I have all their albums, actually, do you mind if we listen to more? I have other artists too if not,” Hyeok-u would always have a hard time saying no to things that made Mun happy, even a small chance to see the excitable boy smile was a chance he took.
“I don’t mind listening to more of them.” The smile he got in return made everything worth it, Mun jumped up and grabbed the CD player to switch out the CD like the times before. This time he pulled an album with a nice teal color on the side, turning to show the album cover to a waiting Hyeok-u, and a bench adorning the front. They make it through almost the entire album without interruption, Hyeok-u liking it just as much as the other album, maybe more if he had to be honest. He was enjoying it, his chin having returned to Mun’s shoulder and his arms to his waist, until the music was suddenly cut. Confused, Hyeok-u opened one of eyes to make sure the CD player hadn’t been knocked and earbuds been disconnected (like it had on only one notable occasion) but no, it sat perfectly fine in Mun’s lap. Instead, Mun’s finger hovered over the pause button. The uncertainty from before had returned, Hyeok-u’s focus shifted again.
“Before the next song starts I just want to say, this song is also very special to me...I remember begging my grandparents for the album the first time I heard this song, and I just...wanted to let you know,” before Hyeok-u could respond, Mun had already unpaused the song, letting the last couple of notes play. The silence between the two tracks was brief, the CD player quick despite it’s age. When the song, he’d later find out was titled Spring Day, started Hyeok-u could tell why Mun had formed such a bond with the song. He felt himself getting a bit emotional as the song carried on, remembering all the times he held Mun as he sobbed from the force of missing his parents. He remembered the nights he spent in his own bed, cold and so so alone, the months after his mother left. The lyrics are only supported by the music, the song honestly being one of the more emotional ones he’d heard that day. He understood why Mun loved the group so much, their music so different from what he was used to but also something that felt so comforting. The song was definitely one he’d need to relisten to.
The tonal shift from that to the next song shocked him so much he actually jumped, startling Mun as well who laughed at him. In revenge Hyeok-u poked the sensitive spots on his sides, making Mun screech and throw himself away from Hyeok-u’s probing fingers. It displaced the CD player as well, taking the earbuds with it as it tumbled onto the bed. Making sure it stayed out of the way, Hyeok-u took the chance to attack Mun again, sticking his finger further into his side and revealing in the giggle pierced shrieks he let out. As he tickled his boyfriend within an inch of his life, Mun’s grandfather appeared at the door. Whenever they hung out in Mun’s room, upon his grandparents' insistence, they always left the bedroom door ajar, which allowed Mun’s grandfather to walk to the door entirely silently, scaring both boys immensely once he cleared his throat.
“I hope you aren’t hurting my grandson,” his tone was light, followed by a raised eyebrow that they both knew meant he was joking. Mun took full advantage of this situation to roll away from Hyeok-u’s offending hands and hide behind his grandfather.
“He’s trying to kill me! Too many tickles!” Hyeok-u scoffed at that, secretly very endeared by the cute tone his boyfriend carried in his voice.
“Not my fault you have ticklish sides! It’s like you’re asking to be tickled at any given moment!” Mun stuck his tongue out at that, his grandfather chuckling at the two boy’s antics.
“Well if you two are quite done terrorizing each other” Mun protested at that, claiming no terrorizing was happening on his part, “I just finished up dinner. So if you’d like to join us Hyeok-u, you’re more than welcome to.” He then left them with a smile and a pat to Mun’s head. Hyeok-u couldn’t always stay for dinner so the days he could he wouldn’t hesitate. That day was one of them, both boys not even realizing the sun had gone down. With a promise of picking up right where they left off, they put the CD player back in its place safely on Mun’s desk and followed the elder to the dining room.