Work Text:
Soft breathing, Eun-ah seems to have drifted peacefully into slumber. Her tiny hand wrapped around Heeseung’s as the boy ran circles over her small back over the comforter. Softly, gently – comfortable as a cloud of cotton. The bulb glows a sombre amber through the lampshade. He hums a melody, as sweet as his actions – has Heeseung always been this way?
Jay’s eyes gleam, even in the darkness as he observes the motions of the boy in front of him. Eyes flickering from the silhouette of the sleeping child, Heeseung’s callused (owe it to his guitar) yet soft fingers – to his doe like eyes. Those same eyes who seemed to have already caught his gaze. A humble warmth spreads across the shorter’s chest as he finds himself leaning into the armchair.
The sheer domesticity of it all stuns him in unexpected ways. Watching a person who he thought he knew the world about – he was now shattering every belief Jay had about him. Not in a bad way. Definitely not.
In fact, these actions might quite possibly have Jay fall for him.
Has it always been this way? Jay doesn’t know that.
Heeseung catches his eyes in a crisp glance, breaking into a noiseless grin. Embarrassed of having his friend see him this way. Its normal for him, Eun-ah has been in need of baby-sitting quite often. And the male prevails every time he is summoned by his brother and his sister-in-law.
After all, Heeseung is a diligent man – a diligent student.
A diligent son, brother.
Friend.
He would make a diligent lover too. A diligent uncle, a diligent father.
Maybe Jay’s diligent lover someday. Or so he hopes for. But things are stable right now and he cannot dare shake it up just on his own whim and cry.
Stability is a funny thing; you wouldn’t realise it’s there until it’s not.
“What do you want…?”, Heeseung mouths at Jay. Briefly in a daze, Jay takes a second to register that he was being spoken to.
“Yo- Jongseong-”
“Hmm?”
Shhh, Heeseung tries frantically as he feels Eun-ah twist along his arm. Shhh~ he hums to the girl. The shushing turns to the same melody. A glorious lullaby. The little girl should be the one at ease, yet it works in an opposite manner. She sniffles a sob into his arm as she inevitably squeals out.
“Eomma- I want- I want eomma-”
The sounds that were once sniffles, turn into wails as Jay finds himself standing up to action. Shit – mumbles to himself. Heeseung throws him a slightly frantic glance and the boy almost leaps next to the pair.
“She sleeps with us, so she might feel better if you are next to her.”, the boy distinctly remembers Heeseung’s brother advising them before he left for the weekend. A distinct pat on Jay’s shoulder. ‘You’ll do great’ seems to have ample effect.
Hopefully it doesn’t wear off when duty calls.
“Lay against her Jongseong~”, Heeseung muses in the same rhythm as he continues to sing frantic verses – gibberish at this point. Unbeknownst to the taller, it goes straight through his friend’s heart. Jay nods, completely out of it by now.
His mind is betraying himself in its totality.
Shh, Heeseung says, blowing a sweet melodic whistle too. Eun-ah returns to just sniffles now. Her breathing stabilises as the taller continues to soothingly rock her. Jay is there – solely to be a human pillow. The little girl snuggles further into the taller’s arm now.
Her noises die down, he continues to sing.
And Jay continues to crumble.
“Why are you watching me like this~”, he sings.
Jay shakes his head dumbly as he lets his own head hit the pillow. Patting next to himself to find a large plushie. Something for Eun-ah to grab onto – after they inevitably leave her side. His eyes search the plain strokes up on the ceiling. Anything that would give him something to grab onto. He feels as if his heart is plummeting straight through his chest and down the core of this earth.
Why does it feel this way? This intense, this raw?
Why does his friend suddenly have such an effect on him?
Heeseung’s voice is feeble now, as he checks the little girl’s line of sight. She sleeps. The ticking of the wall clock is the only music filling Jay’s ears now. He turns to his right to find Heeseung already looking at him.
Arm propped up; cheek squished against his hand. His other hand rubbing soothing circles against Eun-ah’s small back over the comforter. As comforting as a cloud of cotton.
Jay gulps vividly.
“What Jeng?”, Heeseung says.
Eyes closed; voice hushed. Jay now knows better than to speak normally. Nothing, he returns. Shaking his head, the taller’s eyes crinkle into crescents as a blow of air leaves his nose. He isn’t convinced – because it’s never just nothing with Jay.
“I didn’t think you had this in you…”, Jay confesses. Heeseung’s lips upturn in a smug curl.
Nodding lightly, blinking slowly.
Smug.
In normal circumstances, Jay would’ve hurled a punch at his friend’s cockiness. But these aren’t normal circumstances. And abnormality requires tact. A certain grace that Jay is too clumsy for. Has been.
“You think very low of me.”
The air is still. The child – she sleeps while the two adults do nothing but lock eyes. The bulb continues to glow a sombre amber.
Heeseung remains to be sweet.
And Jay remains to be starstruck.