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"i'm glad we could escape from our schedules for a while."
nicholas follows the sound of daisies and peonies, wafting in a magical twirl of worn-out syllables enunciated by masked persistence, gingerly withstanding the last seconds of sanity. he can see the shadow of fatigue in euijoo's eyes, like a darkening sky, awaiting for the silver specks to radiate. and it takes his breath away. how euijoo looks at him— i'm glad you know my inner thoughts— of course, nicholas is forever grateful to know and understand euijoo more than the surface.
it's a windy day, and the weather's getting colder as winter approaches. their debut showcase is in a few days, coming to them like an impending storm. neither of them gets enough sleep to breeze through the day. some rely on the potent, bitter coffee, while others try to sleep (read: attempt to) between rests. nicholas, however, find it better to spend these stolen moments with euijoo. just because they won't get to be this near each other when the cameras begin rolling. just because— he needs his anchor to hold him up. like the sturdy grass euijoo is, nicholas finds comfort in him, in all of him.
and nicholas smiles— just because— euijoo makes him really happy.
"yeah. we could chill out for a bit before they call for us again."
euijoo wears a smile that takes nicholas's breath away. the kind of grin that makes his eyes crinkle, the little nose crunch he does whenever he's delighted, and his feet dance happily under the table, waltzing with the rhythmless tune of gratitude and glee. it's silly. nicholas knows this too well, but euijoo's smile is blinding, and he has a hard time squinting, blocking the light from oozing adoration from his own eyes.
"aren't you sleepy, nicho?"
his heart thunders. catastrophe brewing gradually in the segments of his chest, in the slightest quiver of his ribcage and in the vigorous tremble on his skin. endeared, nicholas is, by the nickname he's so fond of, an arduous duvet given by euijoo and only euijoo. he feels giddy— nicholas loves that nickname so much.
and he might've pouted without realising. because euijoo is giggling, and it's the sweetest melody anyone can ever hear, and no, nicholas isn't being biased here. only facts.
"yeah... i'm sleepy. aren't you?"
"me too."
"so...?"
"do you want to cuddle?"
his body moves faster than his brain can process the thought. he ends up sitting next to euijoo, cramming the already tight space of the sofa, snuggling closer to euijoo as the latter spread the blanket on their bodies.
"we should take a nap."
"you said that before, but we slept for real that one time..."
"it's not my fault! we were exhausted after the mv shooting..."
and nicholas can't help himself— really can't— as he steals a peck on euijoo's cheek.
euijoo's eyes are two round globes. coloured in tinges of fiery red and fuchsia pink. gorgeous.
"sleep, euijoo. time's ticking."
euijoo doesn't say anything. he doesn't have to. the hidden smile on his face is enough to bloom the flowers in nicholas's pulsating veins.
it takes a few minutes for nicholas to hear the faint snores, the familiar weight on his shoulder as euijoo drifts to dreamland. there's this monstrous urge to flick all the lights off and submerge themselves in the secrecy of darkness. but they still have a few queues left to shoot. it can wait, hopefully.
when nicholas's own eyes deceive him, he gingerly entwines their fingers under the blanket and lets the tides wash him away. he doesn't have to fear the mysterious waves and gruesome, uncertain what-ifs. because even when he wakes up, euijoo will still hold his hands. always will. and nicholas won't ever let go too.