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"Hello?"
It's the time of the evening, where Seonghwa is huddled under his covers, scrolling through his phone, when the room phone rings. He lifts his eyes just as Yeosang makes a move to answer.
"Oh, Yunho-yah," he glances up at his roommate, as the neutral expression takes on a mild look of concern, "bandages? Antiseptic? I think we have bandages, you may have to ask manager-hyung for the antiseptic. You need them now?"
The request for first aid items makes Seonghwa perk up. Was Yunho hurt? Was someone hurt?
"Uh-huh, uh-huh. OK, I'll call and ask, drop by your room in five? Okay, see you." He's already kicking off his covers by the time Yeosang hangs up the phone.
"Who's hurt? Yunho?" Seonghwa asks as he digs out the bandaids that he always keeps in his hand-carry before reaching for his bag of toiletries.
"No, Yunho's fine," Yeosang slides his slippers on, before continuing breezily like he's making a passing comment on the weather, "Hyung just sliced his hand open on a cola can."
His blood freezes, "Wait, who? Hongjoong?"
"Yeah, it's sounds like a pretty big cut, we may need bigger bandaids than that—hyung, What are you doing?" His roommate says as he throws the pack of plasters on the floor and lunges for the room phone, his mind racing a mile a second. The first number he punches in is their liason manager's room, he's thanking his lucky stars he memorised all the numbers on their first night here.
"Sungchan-sshi? Yes, this is Seonghwa. Are you free? Could you just stand by and be prepared to call for an ambulance? There may be an emergency— no, no not for me. Room 404. Yes. Hongjoong. He cut himself, I don't know if its deep, but his condition— Yes, now, I'm going over with Yeosang now. We will check and I'll message you if we need emergency services. Good, thank you."
"Wait, hyung, an ambulance?" Yeosang watches him in absolute bewilderment as he lunges for his luggage and digs out the spare kit that he has. He knows Hongjoong has one too, but they didn't pack their luggage together this time, so he doesn't know where it is for him, and he really doesn't want to waste precious time rummaging around for something when Hongjoong could be—
"...Hyung. Yunho said it's just a cut, though?! An ambulance sounds a bit dramatic—" Yeosang is hot on Seonghwa's heels as he slips on his sliders and heads for their door. He can feel his heart pounding like a drum as he beelines for the elevators, trying to plot out the way to Hongjoong and Yunho's shared room as he presses the button for the lift incessantly.
"No, it's not. It's not dramatic. Your hyung has haemophilia. If the bleeding is bad, he's going to need to go to the hospital." He bites out curtly, watching the lift edge slowly towards their floor. C'mon, he thinks, jabbing the button a few more times.
"Hae...haemo what? Hyung, what's going on?"
The door dings open and he goes in, with the younger boy in tow, "hyung, what's happening? You're scaring me."
"It's a blood condition, it's really complicated. Sometimes his blood can't clot, not without help."
"Wait, since when did hyung have this? Why did Yunho to call for bandaids then, when he knows it won't work?!"
"It may be just a small cut. Even if it isn't, Yunho doesn't know."
As the lift slides down just one floor (because Seonghwa does not want to get lost trying to use the stairs, especially in such a time-sensitive situation), Yeosang gapes at him as he shoots off about four different messages, one to each of their two other managers about Hongjoong getting injured, one to the touring staff group as a whole, if anyone has extra first aid materials, and flagging up the need for an translator to be at the ready, just in case. They will definitely need help with interpretation because his French is limited to saying "je t'aime" and "bonjour" to the fans. The last message goes to Yunho to ask him to prop the door open for them if he's still helping Hongjoong with the wound.
His love's roommate doesn't manage to get the messages in time, because Seonghwa sprints down the hall as soon as the elevator doors pop open, and bangs, quite unceremoniously, on room 404.
"Coming!" Yunho greets them with a bewildered expression, "Yeosang-ah, Seonghwa hyung? That wasn't even 5 minutes—"
He doesn't bother with the niceties, entering the room and looking about for... there in the bathroom, standing by the basin, is a confused-looking Hongjoong, with a stained towel wrapped around his right hand.
"Hwa?" Doesn't matter that the countertop is spotted with brownish-red water from what he's sure are valiant efforts by Yunho to help Hongjoong — he chucks the emergency kit to a corner and takes Hongjoong's injured hand without another word.
"How deep is it? Can you feel it?" Hongjoong must've just woken up from a nap, because his black and white locks are a fluffy halo around his head, and he seems groggy. It doesn't look like the blood loss has gotten to him. Yet.
"I'm not sure, I just grabbed the nearest thing because I didn't wanna go dripping all over the room. I asked Yunho to call you about bandages, he said Sang picked up... oh, hi Yeosang."
"Hyung." Yeosang and Yunho are both halfway into the bathroom, hovering by the door, looking a bit unsure as to whether they should approach. Seonghwa is aware he must seem a bit deranged, bustling around and running through hotel corridors and hotel rooms like a headless chicken at 9pm in the night, with uncombed hair and in a state of semi-dress.
Let them think whatever they want to. He has more important things to deal with right now.
He sees Hongjoong wince minutely, at the corner of his eye, as he carefully unwraps the injured appendage. The cut is long, spanning more than halfway across the back of his hand, and curving down the side of it. He can't tell how deep it is, because the wound is weeping a steady stream of blood, and just from removing the towel, it's already started to drip all over the marble top.
"It's been about five? Six minutes since it started bleeding? I've been putting pressure on it."
"Sounds good. Just rest it here for a moment," he sets down the hand on the already stained towel and rummages through his kit for his latex gloves, the gauze pads. He may not have enough.
"Yeosang, come here," As soon as the boy is close, he hands him the gloves, "put these on. I'm going to need you to help apply consistent and firm pressure to the wound with the pads. Don't let up until Hongjoong or I tell you to, okay?"
"O-okay...will it hurt, though?" Hongjoong sends him a reassuring smile, his eyes bright with calm, "Don't worry about it, kiddo, it's not that painful. Just press and we'll see whether it will stop bleeding, okay?"
He turns to leave after pressing the gauze pads to Yeosang's now gloved hands, squeezing him on the shoulder when he sees the boy visibly gulp at the blood dribbling from the gaping wound.
"Thanks, Sang-ah. Yunho, follow me?"
He leads the other boy out to the main section of the room, where he instructs him with what to look for, and to carefully search one half of Hongjoong's luggage while he does the other. Yunho keeps levelling expectant looks at him, as if waiting for him to explain why he's as tense as wound up spring and why they're making such a big fuss over a cut. So he tries his best to break it down, without revealing how anxious he is.
"Hongjoong has a problem clotting. It's a blood disorder, he found out about it last year? The year before? When he cut his thumb a bit too deep and it didnt close up. When he went in for stitches they realised there was something was wrong, because his blood wouldn't stick or congeal."
"My god. I never knew. We never knew."
Seonghwa smiled bitterly and shook his head, "It's a recent thing, and it hasn't shown itself to be a problem, so only I know, and management. He's been getting some treatment for it, as far as I know, but because of back-to-back tours, we haven't had the time to go in."
"So what happens, with this condition...? Oh, hyung, I think it's there," he looks at the stack of darker clothes that Yunho is lifting. There's a corner of a red pouch peeking out from underneath, "Is that the bag?"
"Seonghwa hyung?" Comes a call from the bathroom.
"Yes, it's that one. Could you take it? Coming, Yeosang-ah."
He rushes back into the bathroom to see a slightly stressed-looking Yeosang, who is still putting pressure on Hongjoong's hand with the pad, good boy, and...oh his heart. Hongjoong's eyes are unfocused and half-closed, but he's keeping still and standing for the sake of Yeosang, who looks frazzled.
"He says he feels dizzy, and I can't reach the toilet cover with my foot." Seonghwa nods, clasping Hongjoong by the arm immediately. The younger man is listing heavily against the sink counter, and looks more exhausted than he'd appeared just a few minutes before. There it is. The blood loss.
"Hey, let's sit down okay? You with me, darling?" He murmurs comfortingly as he steers both Hongjoong, who nods groggily, and Yeosang, who's still applying pressure, to sit down after he closes the toilet lid. The captain barely winces at how the movement jostles Yeosang's hold on his hand and just exhales thinly, leaning against the marble wall by the toilet unit.
This looks bad, Seonghwa thinks grimly, as he helps Yeosang switch out the gauze. The first one is already pretty much soaked through with gore. If it's this bad, he may need stitches. And stitches mean the hospital. But the boys may lose their heads if he tells them this.
"How long has it been?"
Yeosang cranes his neck to check the watch on his wrist, his brow furrowing, "I think... a little over four minutes."
"OK, could you let go for a bit, Sang? Just wanna check if it's stopping." Yunho comes back in with a bottle of an isotonic drink, biscuits, and the medical supplies they've dug out. Bless his soul, Seonghwa finds himself thinking empathetically, but it's probably going to take much more than just that.
As soon as the gauze is removed, blood wells up in cut once more and starts spilling over almost immediately. Yeosang gives a small yelp and presses the gauze back on, but Hongjoong doesn't even flinch this time, staring blearily at Seonghwa instead, looking so out of it. That's it. They have to go.
"Yunho, stay here with them, if the gauze soaks through again, open a new pack from the pouch and give it to Yeosang. Yeosang, don't stop putting pressure on the wound. I'll be back in a bit." He pulls out his handphone and stands at the door, shifting his weight from foot to foot as he watches the younger ones with Hongjoong. The man is a whole shade paler than he was when they first saw him, and his lips are slowly bleaching white. He hopes whatever transport they have at their disposal at this time of the night moves really, really fast.
The call to their head manager rings through in an instant, and he confirms that they will need to go to the hospital immediately.
"At this time of the day, Booba hyung says its better if we take a car, instead of calling in for an ambulance," the manager says breathlessly. It sounds like he's running, "I'll call for one. Can you get him down to the lobby?"
"Got it." Seonghwa kneels in front of his lover, who's seated and leaning slightly against Yunho, "Baby, can you walk?"
Hongjoong nods drunkenly, and then makes to stand, only for his knees to give out under him as soon as he gets on his feet. Seonghwa and Yunho catch him in the nick of time, just before he hits his head on the sink. Jesus.
"Yunho, let's put him on your back. Yeosang, don't let go."
The bathroom makes for a tight fit, with four grown men, but they manage to manuever the leader onto Yunho's back and Yeosang clasps onto Hongjoong's hand like its a lifeline. Seonghwa's heart aches, seeing Hongjoong this weak, seeing the members this frightened, but that is something for them to deal with much, much later. Now, time is of the essence.
After ensuring that the young men are following with their precious cargo, Seonghwa makes for the elevator, which he is so relieved to see has stalled on their floor. Finally, some luck.
He pulls on another pair of gloves while the others bundle into the elevator, and accepts the extra gauze from Yunho's pocket. The boy, who's piggybacking Hongjoong, looks pale with concern in the cold light of the elevator. He then relieves Yeosang of his duty, and is worried that Hongjoong only notices the change when he drops a firm peck on his cold cheek, his eyes lighting up by a smidge to see Seonghwa beside him.
"Hwa... I'm okay. Just a little bleeding, that's all. I'm alright." He shushes the boy, pressing down on the tears that he's sure are standing in his eyes.
"If you're alright then I'm the queen of England." He tells him, and gets a soft chuckle in return.
"Your highness. Such an honour."
"You're an idiot." He replies without heat as the elevator doors ding open, "I will ground you."
"Don't mind, as long as you share a room with me." The words are mumbled, but Seonghwa's heart warms with a glow.
"Right."
The door opens to a largely empty lobby, but at the end of the hall, near the entrance, familiar figures are waiting.
Seonghwa does not let go of Hongjoong again, not when Hongjoong has been placed in the backseat of the car, not when he turns to tell the kids to go clean up the best they can, and tell them both that they did a good job.
When he finally settles into the backseat of the taxi and the driver starts driving, at the request of their interpreter and manager, he feels something soft brush against his bare upper arm. Oh, he hadn't noticed he had not put on a coat before leaving. Hongjoong is pulling away from pressing a light kiss on his bicep before leaning with a sigh on his shoulder.
He turns to bury his nose in the other's hair, wriggling his available arm free and then wrapping it around his boyfriend's shoulders.
As long they're together, everything will be just fine.
~
Five stitches (five!!) and a factor injection later, they're sitting in the lobby of the hospital, Seonghwa forcing Hongjoong to munch on some crackers and sip on the isotonic drink that Yunho gave them while they wait for the managers to settle the discharge. Hongjoong is sulking, just a little; the doctor had said with the nature of the wound, the stitches and the cut itself was going to leave a scar, so Hongjoong wanted to ask for 8 stitches instead, but Seonghwa put his foot down and berated him, telling him in a slightly raised voice that this was no laughing matter.
Maybe he shouldn't have yelled at him, just let him have the 8 stitches, but one could hardly blame Seonghwa — by the time they'd reached the hospital, Hongjoong had become so weak that he could barely open his eyes, and that had terrified Seonghwa, even though he knew the young man was in safe hands once he was passed over to the medical staff. But for God's sake. There was so much blood.
"C'mon, stop being a child and eat." Seonghwa coaxes, "I know you skipped dinner because you were napping. That's why you passed out like a light from losing so little blood."
When he gets no response, save for a bit of a stinkeye, he resorts to a more beseeching tone, "Please?"
Hongjoong is stubborn, but Hongjoong is also nothing if not sensitive to Seonghwa's feelings. Begrudgingly, the captain opens his mouth and takes a bite of the salted cracker. The crumbs speckle his lips where he had broken the biscuit off, he looks like a disgruntled kitten, and it makes Seonghwa smile, just a little.
"There you go." Hongjoong chews methodically, levelling yet another glare at his boyfriend. So of course, he does the only thing a loving partner would do; Seonghwa rolls his eyes and then puts an arm around Hongjoong to pull him closer and press a kiss on his temple, just under his tousled fringe.
"Love you, baby." The rigid set of the other's body softens, and he shifts closer to lean on Seonghwa, even though he continues to mumble grumpily. This gets him another kiss on his eyebrow, and he relaxes a bit more, leaning against the taller man. With the next bite, the rest of the biscuit disappears.
Seonghwa tucks his partner's head under his chin as the latter chews quietly. He looks about for their managers — No one is in sight yet; he looks back to see Hongjoong fishing another cracker out, by himself, and taking a noisy bite of it, making the crumbs sprinkle on Seonghwa's lap. He must make an involuntary sound at the mess, because Hongjoong pulls back and bats his eyelashes ever so subtly at him, feigning innocence. This makes Seonghwa roll his eyes again — Oh, now he's doing it on purpose, but his partner's cheekiness always makes him smile like a fool, and Hongjoong knows it.
He continues keeping an eye out for the managers, while Hongjoong reaches past his lap to grab the drink with his left hand. The other injured limb has been secured in a tight sling and to his chest, under the coat that their manager lent to them, and the nurses said they were to keep it elevated for at least an hour more. Just to make sure the blood circulates evenly to the limb, they'd said, and the factor gets enough time to clot the blood and hold the wound together.
Seonghwa watches, with mild amusement, as Hongjoong holds the bottle between his thighs and attempts to use his uninjured hand to unscrew it. The stubborn cap does not yield.
"What's with all these... stupid bottle-caps... trying to ruin my day..." Seonghwa laughs at his grumbling under his breath.
"That's what happens when you don't wear your glasses while opening these things, my love." He tugs the other's glasses that he'd been keeping away in his pocket, just for a bit, dusts them off, then slips them onto Hongjoong's scowling face. Seonghwa watches as he huffs and holds the bottle up, so he can see how to open it, and makes a triumphant sound when he realises there's actually an airtight plastic seal holding the lid down.
"Well, thank goodness you're around then." He plucks the seal right off with a happy sound and gets back to working on the cap.
"How did the first one even get you any way?"
"Oh, Yunho didn't say?" Hongjoong replies distractedly (the cap had just popped open), "I was trying to open this new can of soda for him, the tab was kinda cool, must be something to do with the drink brand or maybe the country?"
Seonghwa nods warily, kind of worried about where this was going. Hongjoong gives him a small, furtive glance, then the rest of it comes out in a rush.
"Anyway I wanted to twist out the tab for reforming, but the thing fell in, he and I couldn't shake it out, so I went at the thing with a scissors and popped the top open then reached in with my hand, because my hand's the only one that was small enough... on the way out, the side of the lid nicked me."
A sharp intake of breath, followed by an exasperated sigh makes Hongjoong raise the drink he's just opened to his lips, so he can't reply Seonghwa.
"A cut that needs stitches isn't really a nick, Hongjoong-ah." At least he has the common sense to look ashamed (Now, where was that same sense when he was trying to get some stupid can tab for his project?). They sit quietly, until Hongjoong stops gulping the drink. His ears are still a bright pink.
"That was very careless of you." Seonghwa finally chides, his tone coloured with frustration and worry. "You're lucky we don't have a show until the day after tomorrow."
"I know. I wasn't really thinking, all I could think about was getting the thing, yknow, the tab." God, sometimes, Seonghwa swears he's in love with a 3-year-old. Hongjoong glances at his expression, then sidles closer, his wide, brown orbs searching his expression.
"Are you mad at me?" Seonghwa feigns a frown and furrows his brows fiercely, his lips pursing together into a firm line. Hongjoong makes a small sound, almost like a whine at his disappointed boyfriend.
"I'm sorry, next time I'll wear gloves to do it." Seonghwa sucks in a sharp, warning breath, and now it's his turn to glare.
"OK, I'll get Yunho to do it...?"
"Kim Hongjoong."
"OK fine!" He sighs, and flops back against Seonghwa, mumbling, "I'll just put the useless one in recycling, and buy a new can and try again."
"Good boy." Satisfied with his answer, Seonghwa relaxes and bends down to catch Hongjoong's guilty expression, before leaning in. Their lips meet, and Hongjoong tastes like the sweet tanginess that comes from fizzy beverages, with a faint, floury hint of the cracker, but as they hold the kiss, Seonghwa's tongue flitters over the curves of his lips, and the edges of his teeth, and he finds the intoxicating taste of what he knows to be indisputably, unequivocally Kim Hongjoong. His wandering hands find the smaller man's waist, just as Hongjoong's good arm slings around his shoulders and neck, his injured hand tucked tight, a shared burden between them.
Oh, he will never tire of this. He never wants this to end for them. Never ever.
They pull apart, if only because they are humans and humans need to breathe, which kind of sucks in moments like this. Still, as the captain smiles beatifically back at his right-hand man (figuratively, and literally, at least for now, Seonghwa muses) he knocks their foreheads together. This makes Hongjoong's glasses jolt and slide down his nose bridge, just a smidge, and his lover laughs, all breathy and beautiful.
"I love you, my flower."
"Back at you, dumbass." Seonghwa gives him a forgiving peck on the nose.
They pull apart, if only because it's too risky to canoodle this much in public, but Seonghwa slides his arm back around the other's shoulders, so the man can lean back onto him. He presses his cheek against the soft crown of Hongjoong's head, sighing contentedly.
After a beat, because Hongjoong's overactive brain never stops working when he's awake, a new question comes.
"D'you think when we get back, there'll be time for us to run down to the convenience store to get another one? I think the first one is a lost cause."
"Last warning."
"Okay, okay. No more."
"... We can do it tomorrow. I insist on supervising."
"Yippee."
~
It's almost 12am when they get back, and by that time, it's way past the boys' usual supper time, but of course, everyone is up and waiting because Yunho and Yeosang have already told the rest of the kids. They return to Seonghwa and Yeosang's room expecting to just see one boy but end up walking into a wall of loud questions.
"You needed stitches?!?"
"Hyung, can I see them? I haven't gotten stitches before."
"Yeosang hyung, you said there was a ton of blood, but I popped by just now to use your face wash and your counter looks clean."
"You dumbo, it didn't happen in their room, it happened in their room."
"Why the ever-loving fuck are you and Yeosang sharing face washes? Not even I share his face wash and I've known him for 7 years."
Yeosang follows Seonghwa as he sets about making his dishevelled bed (from their abrupt departure to Hongjoong and Yunho's room, hours earlier) while the others bicker and squabble, "Hyung, Yunho and I were discussing earlier... if you want, I can bunk with Yunho tonight, and you and Hongjoong hyung can stick together?"
He pats the younger man on his shoulder, allowing a grateful smile to spread across his face. "That'd be great, thank you Yeosang-ah."
"Are we switching roommates? I call dibs on Yunho!"
"Too late, he's with me."
"No fair! He was my roommate first!" San and Yeosang's debate gets interrupted by a yelp from Yunho and gagging sounds from Mingi, coming from where they were gathered around Hongjoong on Yeosang's bed, with Seonghwa's phone. He rolls his eyes as Hongjoong reclines against the pillows, grinning with amusement as he watches the boys swing between barely concealed awe and abject disgust as they flip through the phone camera reel, filled with pictures Seonghwa had helped snap of the wounds as the nurses were closing it up. A part of him regrets filling his camera reel with that, but seeing Hongjoong laugh at their disgusted reactions now is kind of worth it.
"Oh, hyung, your hand, your poor hand!" Wooyoung has broken out into theatrics, taking Hongjoong's unhurt appendage (the bandaged one was still tied securely to his body, and all have been sternly warned off touching the bindings) so he can sob noisily over the unblemished skin. San wails and joins him too, as it usually goes with their antics. Hongjoong rolls his eyes and snatches his good hand away, but not before playfully flicking them both in the ears.
"Wow, who knew stitches were so chunky?" Yeosang muses as the phone passes into his hands and he gets to see the pictures.
"The ones on my ankle were that chunky too, remember, hyung?"
"Well, I don't remember."
"Mingi hyung, you didn't even see them."
"That's 'cause you didn't let me see!"
"You never even asked?!?! You said, and I quote, surgery is gross."
"Alright, alright, settle down now," Seonghwa pushes his way through the tight knot of the quarrelsome bunch and settles into the empty spot beside Hongjoong. It takes a few more quieting orders and jabs between the kids but eventually everyone is listening (well, sort of. San is lying half on Yeosang's lap now getting a turn to look at the photo of the stitches, and making strangled sounds whenever he flips to another one).
"Is everyone done with supper?" 5 nods, and a muffled squeak from San, who seems to have just swiped to another picture.
"Right, we have to be up by 8am for practice tomorrow, so all of you, off to bed, right now." Hongjoong commandeers in his most leader-like voice. Seonghwa nods in affirmation as well, glancing to make sure that San is done looking at the photos, only to realise that he had been done some time ago and is now making disgusted noises at Seonghwa's selcas, not pictures of stitches and blood. The phone is confiscated immediately.
"Goodnight, everyone."
"Night night!"
Goodnights and See you tomorrows are exchanged Seonghwa sees them off at the door, and they head down to their rooms on the other floor. Wooyoung and Jongho are on the same floor as them now, so they hang around for a tad longer, Jongho teaching Seonghwa how to toggle the TV to a cable channel with occasional Korean variety shows, while Wooyoung sticks close to Hongjoong, giggling as he threatens the younger with tickles for trying to kiss him.
"Goodnight, Jjong, remember to take your tonic before bed."
"Sleep well, Wooyoung-ah."
"You too, hyung, are you sure you wouldn't like me and Jjong to kiss it better?"
"Oh no, you're not signing me up for this. Night, hyungs! Bye!" With Jongho almost fully deadlifting Wooyoung and marching him out, the door closes with a clean snap, and Seonghwa exhales, feeling warm and grateful inside to have such a family.
For having just hosted an impromptu party, the room is not very different from how Seonghwa had left it a few hours ago, which is fantastic. He shoos Hongjoong away from changing out the lining of the litter bin, making him figure out the cable channel thing that Jongho had told him about earlier instead ("How am I supposed to know how to do it?! You're the one he taught, not me."). Once he's done neatening up, the TV is on some Turkish drama that has English subtitles and Hongjoong is snuggled under the blankets on Yeosang's bed, his eyelids drooping as he watches the screen. The sight makes Seonghwa feel all bright inside, and sits onto the other side of the bed, leaning in to press a soft kiss to his captain's forehead.
"Wanna get ready for bed?"
"Mmhmm." He feels almost bad for getting Hongjoong out of what had looked like a very comfortable nest of blankets, so he takes his good hand in his and holds him close, while he potters around the room, finding a spare toothbrush, and sleep clothes for him, in the form of his birthday dressing gown, some boxers, and a loose tee.
They unwrap the sling in the bathroom, and even though he gets an eyeroll for insisting, Hongjoong gamely lets Seonghwa brush his teeth for him, while his injured hand is made to rest on a small mound of towels.
"Thanks, darling." Hongjoong says warmly in his smooth English, once Seonghwa is done, something that always makes him blush from head to toe. He knows Seonghwa enjoys that, he can tell from the mischievious smirk on his gorgeous little face. Hongjoong sits on the toilet and slowly changes into the shorts while Seonghwa scrubs his own teeth clean, before they both work together to get a new shirt on him. Hongjoong has always been great about the little things, the boundaries that Seonghwa places on his living spaces; the rapper doesn't complain a single time about how long it takes to get his clothes changed, how many times his injured hand gets jostled when they have to feed it through the sleeve of the shirt, then the dressing gown. At the end they are clean and better for it, because god knows Seonghwa definitely does not have enough energy left to give his usual Ted Talk about cleanliness and inside-clothes versus outside-clothes.
Once deemed fit to recline on Seonghwa's well-made bed, Hongjoong is dismissed while Seonghwa does his own bed routine. It takes a while, but he eventually leaves too, but not before taking his moisturiser with him.
"I don't need it! My skin's already so soft and supple, please don't touch me with that gross sticky thing, Hwa—" Seonghwa ignores the whining and gives him a few quick swipes on his nose and cheeks, and chin for good measure, then helps rub it into the scowling face.
"The air is dry, you moron," he says, lovingly, "Now, stop frowning or you're going to get lines."
When he's done, Hongjoong starts the careful but determined descent into the folds of the blankets, clearly trying to hide the rest of his exposed skin from the lotion treatment. Seonghwa sighs but smiles as he goes around getting the lights and the television turned off, so they can finally sleep.
Seonghwa turns to feel his way back to his bed from getting a bottle of water from the dressing table, and already he can see the tell-tale glow of a phone screen under the blankets, and it is Seonghwa's turn to roll his eyes.
"Bedtime, you insufferable workaholic." He catches a glimpse of Hongjoong's renewed scowl as he pulls the device out from his hands and thrusts it on the bedside table, with the water. His face has a slight sheen from the moisturiser, which means he hasn't cleaned the offending substance off using the sheets as an excuse. Good boy.
Once he offers his embrace, however, all prior transgressions seem to have been forgiven because soon enough, Seonghwa is holding him close, relaxing at the scent of the Hongjoong's shampoo and the feeling of the other's arm resting on the small of his back. With the other boys, cuddling may sometimes feel like a science of which leg and which arm to place where, but with Hongjoong it felt so natural, like they were two puzzle pieces sliding into place.
"How's the hand?" He mumbles, feeling all cosy and secure, having something that felt like home so close to him tonight. Hongjoong moves, and he feels a kiss placed on his lips before an answer comes, "It's slightly itchy, but I'll manage."
"No scratching."
"No promises." Seonghwa makes an annoyed sound and carefully, uses his available arm to hug bandaged hand lightly to his chest, covering it with his bigger palm.
"Hey!"
"Sleep, love." He inches his face close, and plants his own kiss, right between the two bright stars that are Hongjoong's eyes, "Sleep."
And sleep they did.
~