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It’s been a long day. Jeongguk couldn’t sleep at all on the plane and it didn’t help that he spent all morning writing lyrics for a song he probably won’t even release so he barely had time to eat any breakfast before they left. Jet lagged, hungry, and exhausted just for a full day of soundcheck, blocking, and rehearsals to follow for tomorrow night’s concert.
He had one thing to look forward to today and that was cuddling up to Taehyung’s side while watching anime before falling asleep in their shared hotel room for the next two nights. Maybe even a quick hand job or two. You know, what bros do when they’re under a lot of stress. Just to help a bro out. Normal bro things.
Him and Taehyung walk into the hotel side by side, shoulders brushing consistently as they chatted about nonsense. As they enter the lobby, the elder immediately links his arm through Jeongguk’s elbow while letting his head rest on the younger’s shoulder as they walk. Jeongguk could already tell he was about to have the most refreshing sleep he’s ever had in months, subconsciously pulling Taehyung closer into his side.
They walk a few feet in front of the others, eager to make it up to their room and crawl into bed. “Taehyung-ah?” One of their managers calls out from behind them.
The two slow down a bit, letting the owner of the voice catch up to them. “Yes?” Taehyung asks politely, head lifting from Jeongguk’s shoulder.
“I need you to go live tonight,” he instructs before glancing at the younger idol attached to his arm, “Just you… alone,” he adds firmly.
Jeongguk blinks at him slowly, processing what he just said because, damn, he’s way too exhausted right now.
Taehyung makes an unsettling noise in protest, his grip on Jeongguk’s elbow squeezing ever so slightly. “Uh… does it have to be tonight?”
The manager’s phone dings suddenly. He checks it briefly before answering, “yeah, tonight,” he states dismissively before walking away to answer a phone call.
Jeongguk groans, suddenly feeling heavier on his feet as Taehyung drags him inside the elevator. The elder sighs, gently patting Jeongguk’s bicep with his other hand in an attempt to relieve the tension from his body. “It’ll only be for an hour, Gukkie. Okay?” He tries to reassure.
“Should I go to one of the hyungs’ rooms until you’re done?” Jeongguk suggests although he’s not as willing as he sounds. Thankfully, Taehyung can see right through him.
“No, it’s okay. You’re exhausted anyway. I’ll go to Jiminie’s room.”
“But you’re supposed to do it alone,” Jeongguk objects quickly, secretly not wanting to leave the elder so soon.
“Won’t I be too noisy for you to rest?”
Jeongguk shakes his head, eyes suddenly glossy from sleep, lips forming a sweet pout. He nuzzles his head into the side of Taehyung’s neck, sighing.
“You big baby,” Taehyung teases, bringing his hand up to pet the younger boy’s hair.
When the two exit the elevator, their manager successfully managed to piss off Jeongguk even more than he already was, reminding Taehyung to go live in 15 minutes as they all parted ways.
The noise he makes is almost a growl and, lucky for the manager, Taehyung held him tightly by the arm otherwise Jeongguk would have cursed at the poor man unapologetically. He’s just doing his job as Taehyung is doing his, going live to talk with the fans, it’s a job that has no on and off hours and Jeongguk has to face that whether he likes it or not even if he’s been drained of all his energy. This job has no room for a pity party.
He thought there’d be room for cuddling, though… at the very least.
Figuring out where to go on live in their shared room was slightly more complicated than it should have been. He could do it on the bed but he wouldn’t want to disturb Jeongguk if he’s trying to sleep plus he’d literally be right next to him, maybe by the desk but the huge tinted window behind the chair has a direct reflection of the bed where Jeongguk would be resting. Maybe in the chair in the corner but then the camera would have to rest on the corner of the bed where, again, Jeongguk would be resting. Going live in the washroom speaks all kinds of weirdness for itself.
“Koo, are you sure I shouldn’t just go to someone else’s room?” Taehyung asks worriedly.
Jeongguk shakes head, humming in protest, “‘Wanna fall asleep to your voice,” he confesses sleepily.
Taehyung coos, huffing an incredulous giggle because what on earth is this boy saying? “Alright, tiny, close the blinds behind the desk. I’ll do it there, okay?”
“Okay,” Jeongguk nods.
He does as he’s told while Taehyung sets up the phone on the miniature tripod before noticing the clutter seemingly in pairs of two next to it on the desk. “Aish…” Taehyung sighs.
“Jeong—“ he starts but is cut short by the sight of the younger flopping face first onto the bed. “Hm,” he smiles to himself, shoving the the clutter off to the side, just enough to be out of frame, deciding to deal with it later.
Not much happens when the live starts as Jeongguk lays in bed listening to his favourite voice interact with the fans. Admittedly, it’s difficult for him to sleep with the lights on so instead he just settles, laying there with his eyes closed but still awake.
He tries. He really tries to fall asleep but he just can’t seem to relax despite just moments before he was complaining about how exhausted he was. Because Taehyung is right there looking incredibly cuddly and warm within an arms reach and yet so unreachable. It’s only been 7 minutes into the live.
He hears Taehyung read a comment asking him to play some music. From his place in bed he can see the elder sneak a careful glance his way before agreeing. He pulls out his phone plays his late night playlist, the one that he plays whenever he and Jeongguk go out at night time. The gesture warms his heart.
For the next 20-30 minutes Jeongguk remains in a constant limbo between sleep and waking. The music Taehyung plays and the sound of his voice eventually lull out as background noise but it still isn’t enough for Jeongguk to rest.
When he’s half way between conscious and delirious, he hears Taehyung stand up from the desk, not paying any mind to the music that still plays. Jeongguk hums, stretching himself out on the bed, ready for Taehyung to finally curl up into his side and fall asleep.
Taehyung is at the foot of the bed standing in front of his suitcase. Jeongguk watches as he strips from his long sleeved shirt, unable to look away from the guy’s bare back. “Wah…” Jeongguk sighs in awh, barely audible, before scooting forward to the edge of the bed.
“Shh…” Taehyung warns, but Jeongguk doesn’t process it, too focused on having the elder next to him.
He wraps his arms around the elders waist, pressing his lips to his bare back. Taehyung jolts slightly as his hands come up to wrap around Jeongguk’s on his front. “Wh— no…” he whispers sternly, forcing Jeongguk to let go.
Jeongguk, in a state dangerously close to sleep walking, gets up from his spot on the bed and stands directly in front of Taehyung who’s still shirtless. He grabs him by the waist and pulls him toward his body. The boy deliriously kisses the elder on the corner of his mouth, gently, before committing to a real kiss that Taehyung can’t help himself from melting into. Hands creeping up and around Jeongguk’s nape, fingers threading through his hair as their lips dance together.
It’s only a matter of time before Taehyung pulls away for reasons Jeongguk still isn’t processing. “No…” Taehyung whispers softly.
Jeongguk’s grip doesn’t slip, only tightens around his waist, surprisingly inescapable for someone who’s half out of his waking mind and kisses softly down Taehyung’s neck. He hears the elder whine the slightest bit and he smirks to himself, giggling once against the elder’s neck.
Taehyung pushes him away with more force this time. “Go away…” he whines playfully, shoving Jeongguk back down onto the bed before walking back to the desk where Jeongguk just now realizes the live is still going.
Taehyung hastily slips on a new sweatshirt before plopping himself back down into the chair. The motion makes the desk shake and the camera shifts position. In the frame reveals the clutter on the other side of the desk that couldn’t be seen before. Taehyung rushes to fix the camera angle back in place. Once he’s done so, he takes a moment to examine the clutter that had just been revealed; two ramen cups, Jeongguk’s lotion, and few containers of takeout food.
He plays it off like it’s nothing, praying to God the fans don’t think too much about it.
By the time the live is over, Jeongguk is in a light sleep, desperately chasing REM with furrowed eyebrows, shoulders tense and lips in a pout as he curls in on himself. Taehyung watches him fondly, feeling slightly guilty for keeping him awake for so long.
Taehyung caresses the sleeping boy’s face before turning off the lights and sliding into bed next to him. Almost immediately, feeling the warmth of his presence, Jeongguk releases the tension in his body and opens himself up for Taehyung lay into him. Just as he wanted, they fall asleep in the comfort of each other’s arms, all their stresses melting away.
That is… until they wake up the next morning to chaos on social media recalling the events of the live stream. Needless to say, they’ve learned to never go live in the same room ever again. But we all know that didn’t hold up for long.