Work Text:
Doyoung sighs to himself: It’s almost 2am and he really had no reason to be here at this hour. No reason except one Lee Taeyong. And that was enough to make him move quickly through the halls of the SM building, the only sounds resonating being his footsteps, the crinkle of his plastic bag, and the occasional late night office worker whisper.
Taeyong was chipper that morning, enthusiastically texting Doyoung of his plans to grab lunch and then work on some new music in the studio for the rest of the day. Doyoung had wished him well and told him to possibly squeeze in some room for dinner out together, which Taeyong happily agreed to.
But with 18 update texts over the course of 6 hours with not a single response, Doyoung, in true Doyoung fashion, assumed the worst. He knew Taeyong had a habit of completely losing himself in his work, and figured he must have skipped dinner altogether. Before he knew it, he was buying some food to-go, eager to take care of him (because lord knows he won’t take care of himself).
Doyoung halts in front of the studio door, checking his bag once again to make sure that the tteokbokki and drinks didn’t spill, before gently creaking the door open.
As expected, it’s almost completely dark in the studio, all except a single table lamp and an RGB diffuser in the corner, gently puffing out rose-scented essential oil. The sofa and recording booth are empty, and much to Doyoung’s confusion, the computer screens that would normally host Taeyong’s projects are shut off. The boy was definitely there though, his presence only made known by the small tuft of lilac hair poking above his desk chair. Whatever it was that he was doing, he was clearly engrossed in it, having not acknowledged the boy standing by the entrance yet.
Doyoung clears his throat , “Yong-ah.”
The tufts of hair jump slightly at that, before their owner swivels around to face the voice. And Doyoung’s heart unwillingly melts a bit at the sight.
Taeyong is dressed comfortably in gray sweats, completely wrapped in a big, fluffy pink blanket, his eyes wide and awake. His hands rest on his lap, and in between them he holds his pastel Nintendo Switch, its screen glowing and playing the sound of waves hitting the shore.
Ah. Of course, Doyoung thinks.
Taeyong blinks. “What are you doing here, Doie?”
“I should be asking you that,” Doyoung tuts. “Don’t tell me you’ve been playing Animal Crossing all day instead of working like you said you would.”
Taeyong looks down at that and pouts, caught red-handed. “... I got distracted! I’m fishing! It’s- it’s basically work. It’s important.”
“Couldn’t possibly be more important than eating,” Doyoung notes, raising his plastic bag. “Dinner?” He pauses, searching Taeyong’s puzzled eyes, “remember?”
Taeyong slaps a hand to his forehead and groans, “Oh my god, right! I’m so sorry. You didn’t wait for me did you?”
Doyoung makes his way to place the bag on the desk before pivoting in front of the boy, “I just had a little snack, but I kept on waiting to see if you would respond...” He gingerly pushes Taeyong’s bangs to the side before guiding them down to hold his cheek in his hand. “I just knew you got busy and didn’t eat dinner at a certain point.”
“You were right…” Taeyong admits in defeat, leaning into Doyoung’s touch. “You’re always right.”
“Well, what I failed to predict was that it was all because of Tom Kook and his children,” Doyoung chuckles, pulling his hand back slightly to punctuate his next points by poking at Taeyong’s cheek instead: “I can’t believe me, your work, and your self-care have taken a backseat to shaking trees and digging up fossils.”
“Okay, first of all,” Taeyong says, swatting the younger’s hand away from his cheek, “It’s Tom Nook, not Tom Kook. Second of all, Timmy and Tommy are his nephews, not his children,” he proclaims as he shuffles towards the plastic bag and begins taking out containers. “Third of all, shaking trees and digging up fossils are vital and necessary requirements to sustain my town as resident representative. And fourth, fifth, and sixth of all,” Taeyong tilts his head and flashes a guilty smile, “I’m sorry, thank you, and please eat this with me?”
Doyoung can’t help the grin that appears on his face, “Alright, alright.”
At that, the two eventually settle on the studio’s sofa, munching on tteokbokki and tuna rice balls in comfortable silence as the Switch plays a gentle piano and guitar theme. It’s not the most nutritious of meals, but it satisfies Taeyong plenty, having not eaten anything since noon. When they finish, he immediately grabs his blanket again and reaches for his game.
Doyoung rolls his eyes, “Tyong, don’t you think it’s time to go home? You’re not even working.”
“But it’s so late now… And I have a schedule here in the morning anyway,” he replies, eyes still glued to the screen as he throws his fishing line towards a large silhouette. “And I do think I’ll work… Eventually.”
At this point Doyoung was too tired to argue, his mind working on autopilot: “Then at least let me stay with you until then. I don’t have anything tomorrow.”
Taeyong finally looks up at that, boba eyes glittering. “Are you sure?”
Doyoung blinks, having not really thought about what he just said. But his expression quickly softens. “Yeah,” he eventually breathes, leaning back against the sofa. “I missed you, and I just want to be with you. Even if it means missing out on some sleep.”
And it’s true. Their schedules had been relentless these past few weeks, between Taeyong’s solo debut, Doyoung’s Dojaejung appearances, and both of their fashion ambassadorships, the two have rarely had the opportunity to be in the same place at once. Doyoung was happy to take anything from Taeyong that he could: Facetimes, fleeting touches… even a heart emoji via text. A sleepless night was a small price to pay for time with his best friend.
(Best friend, Doyoung repeats mentally. Friends do this for each other, right?)
Taeyong’s smile is so sweet then, his cheeks dusted peach, and Doyoung thinks he might as well be one of the characters in the game. Without another word, the older scoots towards him on the sofa before laying his head on his lap, holding his Switch at an angle for both of them to see. “Me too.”
They stay like that for a while: Taeyong running around his island catching bugs and fish, occasionally excitedly telling Doyoung if he found something new. Doyoung listens intently, taking into account the layout of Taeyong’s island and who his neighbors are. He memorizes how the blue light bounces off Taeyong’s face, reflecting off of his eyes, filled with so much joy and wonder. It’s all so peaceful, as if they’ve done this a thousand times before.
At a certain point, Taeyong looks up at Doyoung, “Doie look,” he whispers, “the sun is rising.”
Doyoung is gently running his fingers through the older’s hair when he looks at the screen, and sure enough, his world is slowly transitioning from dark cobalt to rich amber.
“It’s pretty,” he eventually says, still focused on Taeyong and his hair.
Taeyong hums in agreement. “You know…” He begins, still looking towards the in-game sky. “Lately I like to imagine what it would be like to just live on our own little island just like this one.”
... Our?
“We’d greet our neighbors,” he continues. “Go to the museum, and go to a K.K. Slider concert. We’d walk along the beach and collect seashells together, and we’d use them to decorate our room… You’d nag me for not paying attention to the turnip stock market, and I’d tell you I would just fish a lot to make up for it. And we’d definitely have a nice garden, but you’ll probably get stung by a bee at some point.” He giggles softly at that, before finally turning his head to meet Doyoung’s eyes. “It’s kind of silly, but doesn’t it sound nice?”
Doyoung feels his heart swell. He knows Taeyong didn’t say anything real or specific, but he feels the weight of his words. Hinting at something. Wanting something.
A world where things are calm and free. A life together.
Doyoung carefully lifts Taeyong’s hand up and presses a soft kiss to his knuckles.
“It sounds perfect.”
“Uh… Johnny-hyung? Can you call manager-nim and tell him to come to the studio?”
“Why, what’s up?”
“Taeyong and Doyoung hyung are sleeping on the sofa together and I refuse to record with that in my field of vision.”