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The first time Eunkwang kisses him, it’s at the tail end of some time after three in the morning. Everyone is pretty drunk and Minhyuk knows that everyone crowded around the small table is going to have a bad hangover when they wake up. Including himself. He knows his tolerance level and knows that he’s just on the verge of being black out drunk.
Maybe he should be grateful that Eunkwang managed to only hit Minhyuk’s face with his lips and a little bit of tongue against the corner of his mouth instead of forehead or teeth. Eunkwang is definitely off balance and Minhyuk is still holding the refill of Eunkwang’s drink.
Minhyuk blinks, suddenly focusing on Changsub’s startled and almost fearful expression with his drink halfway up to his mouth.
“You’re the best,” Eunkwang slurs into Minhyuk’s ear, leaning heavily against him.
Minhyuk huffs, his hand curling around Eunkwang’s waist to help hold his same aged friend upright and a bit steadier as Eunkwang downs his shot of soju with a grimace. Eunkwang is just drunk, he tells himself. Drunk and off balance and a little more affectionate and touchier than normal.
It doesn’t mean anything; he tries to tell himself. Eunkwang didn’t really mean it like that. It’s not a secret that Eunkwang is attracted to guys, and Minhyuk knows that he’s good-looking, but Minhyuk doubts that Eunkwang would just kiss another guy to test the waters. They’re just friends. They’re due to debut towards the end of March, and there’s no way Eunkwang would mess that up.
Minhyuk likes to think that his own attraction to men is more subtle than Eunkwang’s almost blatant one.
“Hyung, why do you always get so affectionate when you drink?” Changsub complains, finishing his beer. “Not everyone wants to have you slobbering kisses all over them as thanks.”
Minhyuk feels Eunkwang tensing under his fingers. “I don’t mind,” he finds himself saying, his fingers digging into Eunkwang’s waist. “I mean we’re friends right?”
Eunkwang’s face breaks into his signature wide grin, and Minhyuk is almost knocked to the floor when Eunkwang hugs him, tucking his face into Minhyuk’s neck. Minhyuk shivers at the feel of Eunkwang’s lips and breath against his skin.
They’re just friends, he tells himself. Eunkwang isn’t really his type. He’s a little weird and a little weird looking still, he’s a lot loud and always bubbling with happiness and energy. But they’re friends. They have to be if they’re going to navigate their group through debut and launching their careers. So they’re friends, and Eunkwang isn’t bad as a friend.
“Hyung,” Changsub whines, and Minhyuk is startled when the side of his neck is suddenly exposed to air, a shiver working down his back. Changsub is yanking Eunkwang back by the collar of his t-shirt, and Minhyuk has to grab onto the table to maintain his own balance.
“Come on, hyung, you need to go to bed.”
“Don’t want to,” Eunkwang whines right back, swaying back into Minhyuk.
“Hyung,” Changsub barks, yanking him away from Minhyuk again.
Minhyuk frowns. He knows that Eunkwang and Changsub have been friends for a while, but that tone was almost on the verge of being rude.
His thoughts swim for a second, swirling around like soju.
He’s definitely had enough alcohol for one night.
He takes a breath in. “Bed,” he mutters with a nod. “Probably a good idea.”
Eunkwang giggles, but it’s suddenly cut off. Looking back over, Changsub has his hand over Eunkwang’s mouth.
“See hyung? Even Minhyuk hyung is saying that going to bed is a good idea.”
Minhyuk wants to argue that he was just speaking for himself, but Eunkwang is crashing into him again. This time Minhyuk is groaning at the burst of pain at the back of his head as it connects with the floor, and the rest of him feels a little squished.
Changsub sighs dramatically. “Hyung you’re going to have to get up on your own, I can’t carry you.”
“Ow,” Minhyuk mutters, blinking rapidly as some of his buzz wears off.
Eunkwang is suddenly in his line of sight looking concerned, but in a very drunk way. His face is flushed and very close to Minhyuk’s own. The squishing sensation moves a little as Eunkwang’s hands flutter up to Minhyuk’s face.
He suddenly realizes that Eunkwang is the one squishing him against the floor.
“Are you okay?” Eunkwang asks, his breath smelling of soju and beer and the chicken they’ve all been snacking on.
His thoughts fizzle and pop as he looks at Eunkwang. Is he okay? Is he?
“Yeah,” he forces out once he can make himself form words again. “I’ll live.”
Eunkwang’s smile is brilliant and almost adoring. Minhyuk feels his heart racing. He wonders if Eunkwang can feel it too.
“Hyung, come on,” Changsub cajoles. “If you can get yourself up, I can at least help you get to bed.”
Minhyuk sets a hand against Eunkwang’s back before Eunkwang can begin to move. He’s a little more sober now – not enough to avoid the hangover, but enough to realize that he really doesn’t want Eunkwang’s knees smashing into any part of him if Eunkwang tries to get up by himself.
“Just roll over,” he murmurs to Eunkwang. “Once I’m up, I can help you.”
Eunkwang thankfully obeys and rolls off him, allowing him to take in a deep breath before he slowly makes his way to his feet. Eunkwang is still splayed out on the floor, staring up at Minhyuk. He gets himself steadied on his feet and then holds his hands out for Eunkwang to take.
Eunkwang is shaky and swaying once he’s sitting up, but his hands are solidly in Minhyuk’s as Minhyuk pulls him up.
Changsub has to help him stay standing when Eunkwang stumbles into Minhyuk.
“What fucking drama is this?” Changsub mutters. Minhyuk really hopes that Changsub is just talking to himself using informal speech like that. “Okay hyung, come on, let’s get you to bed,” Changsub continues a little louder and starts to tug Eunkwang away.
Minhyuk feels completely off balance as Eunkwang is led away, leaving him staring blankly at the door for at least a full minute. He finally gets himself moving with a brief goodnight for the older managers and moving down the hallway towards his own bed. Stripping enough of his clothes off to be comfortable enough to sleep, he flings himself onto his bed, staring up at the mattress above him.
His head is swimming, and he swallows, taking a deep breath in to try and steady himself. His hand drifts up, his fingers delicate as they press into the corner of his mouth where Eunkwang had kissed him.
He can remember the feeling of Eunkwang’s lips there. His heart feels like it’s still racing.
Is he okay?
Rolling onto his side, he folds his arms across his chest. They’re just friends.
Just friends. Eunkwang isn’t even close to his type. He was just really affectionate and drunk. It can’t and doesn’t mean anything more.
He wouldn’t be interested if it did.
Probably. Maybe. Is he okay?
His fingers press against the corner of his mouth again.
Just. Friends.
The first time Minhyuk kisses Eunkwang back, it’s sheer impulse that has him pressing his lips against Eunkwang’s cheek. Eunkwang’s face has morphed from an utterly silly face with pursed lips to one of wide eyes and a mouth parted in shock. Minhyuk is thankfully drunk enough to bury the anxiety spike and force a huff of laughter through his nose.
“What? You said to kiss you,” he teases.
Eunkwang splutters, his cheeks almost glowing red. Minhyuk is finding it unbearably cute and he wants to kiss both of them and coo at Eunkwang to make him blush even more. “I – I didn’t think you would do it.”
Minhyuk takes another drink of his soju. “Well, I did.”
He can feel the heat from Eunkwang’s face as Eunkwang ducks his head into Minhyuk’s neck with a shy whine. “I’m glad you did,” Eunkwang finally mutters, his voice pitched low and intimate. Minhyuk’s stomach feels like he just went around a loop on a rollercoaster. His leg twitches a bit when he feels Eunkwang’s lips press for a brief second into his neck before Eunkwang leans back with a laugh, his eyes sparkling brightly.
“Flirt,” he playfully chides.
Minhyuk affects an affronted expression. “Am not,” he protests, pitching his voice up to a tone he picked up from listening to the ahjummas that liked to sit around in the stairwells.
“Hyung, he’s absolutely terrible at flirting if he was,” Changsub snipes. “I could flirt with you better.”
“Yah,” Minhyuk protests again, this time actually insulted.
Changsub shrugs, not intimidated. “Sorry hyung but you have zero skills in flirting if that even was an attempt.”
“I wasn’t flirting,” he snaps with a frown. There’s no way he was flirting. He and Eunkwang are just friends. Eunkwang kisses him sometimes, but that’s just when he’s drunk and affectionate. It doesn’t mean anything. So Minhyuk kissed Eunkwang back, so what? He’s just playing around with his friend.
“Enough,” one of the managers grumbles. “Go sleep it off, you still have practice later on tonight.”
There’s a part of Minhyuk that wants to protest that he isn’t that drunk, but it’s become a habit that he hides behind excuses of not remembering things because he’s drunk or that he’s drunk and tired so of course he can’t recall everything clearly. It makes him feel better that Eunkwang says that he can’t remember, too. Changsub has thankfully not said anything either, just shakes his head when he’s asked.
But he weaves his way back to bed, flopping down face first. Surely him kissing Eunkwang on the cheek doesn’t mean anything.
Would he be interested if it did?
Friends, he reminds himself. Their debut is already pushed back by a week. He doesn’t know why, and Eunkwang just shrugs and tells him not to worry about it.
It’s driving him nuts that Eunkwang is the hard stop of filtering down company decisions because he can see the stress taking up residence in Eunkwang’s eyes, and if something needs to be fixed, then it’s better for the group if everyone knows about it… isn’t it?
I’m glad you did.
He feels his heart pounding in his chest at the remembered feel of Eunkwang’s soft cheek under his lips, the softness of Eunkwang’s lips against his neck…
He closes his eyes resolutely. It can’t – doesn’t – mean anything. He wasn’t flirting. So he’s never had to hone his flirting skills because of his face. So what? He can flirt if he wants to, he’s just usually the one being approached. He kind of likes it that way, honestly. He doesn’t like giving someone his full attention if they’re not interested.
Is Eunkwang interested in him?
It feels like butterflies are in his stomach, making the alcohol slosh around. He swallows hard, keeping everything in his stomach where it should be.
No, Eunkwang can’t be interested. He’s not interested. They’re just friends. He likes Eunkwang, but not like that.
Right…?
He has to wonder if he’s going crazy. Eunkwang’s loud laughter echoes in his head, a remembered flash of unadulterated joy filling him that he made Eunkwang laugh like that.
It’s not flirting.
He drifts off to sleep with Eunkwang on his mind.
It’s getting close to debut now, so Minhyuk is trying to limit the hangovers. Eunkwang is sprawled over his lap like normal now. He has a hand comfortably at Eunkwang’s waist while his other holds his beer. Eunkwang is mostly still aside from the brief nuzzles of his cheek against Minhyuk’s thigh as he sleeps.
The group has swelled with Hyunsik and Peniel joining them all, but only he and Changsub are actually drinking. Well, only he is drinking at the moment since Changsub is passed out against Peniel’s back while the youngest at the table happily munches on some of the chicken. Hyunsik had politely declined a drink from one of the managers, saying that he wanted to focus on debut – and the chicken. Peniel was far more blunt in his refusal to drink, and Minhyuk is glad everyone just laughs at how American Peniel still is.
Eunkwang rubs his cheek against Minhyuk’s thigh again, his lips moving slightly. Minhyuk smiles softly and swaps his beer to his hand along Eunkwang’s waist, freeing up his other hand to run through Eunkwang’s newly bleached hair.
It’s nice seeing Eunkwang relaxed for a bit. He’s been everywhere lately, a mood maker in every sense of the word, constantly keeping everyone’s mood up when someone is getting whiny or tired or frustrated. Ilhoon had a bad fall the other day, and thankfully nothing was broken or sprained, but Minhyuk could see the slight hesitations before a practice pass. Eunkwang gently cajoled Ilhoon, boosting his confidence until those hesitations were no more. Minhyuk thinks it’s amazing sometimes that Eunkwang can just give and give and give without ever really taking anything in return.
Sure, he catches what Eunkwang misses, or scolds someone when Eunkwang won’t, but he feels like what he does is absolutely tiny in comparison to what Eunkwang does. Eunkwang is just… larger than life sometimes. So when Eunkwang does come back down, when he relaxes against Minhyuk and sprawls across his lap, Minhyuk feels like he’s finally pulling his weight within the group.
Maybe this is his role, off the stage and far beyond whatever labels the company sticks on them, for him to be Eunkwang’s support to let Eunkwang focus on everyone else. Eunkwang focuses on caring for everyone, Minhyuk focuses on caring for Eunkwang.
They’re a good team like that.
It takes him a full minute to realize that someone was trying to get his attention.
“Hm?” he mumbles, still not able to tear his eyes off Eunkwang’s peaceful expression.
“Hyung, you should get Eunkwang hyung into bed,” Hyunsik replies patiently.
Minhyuk blinks for a second. That’s normally Changsub’s job. But Changsub is still passed out against Peniel, and he should probably stop drinking for the night, too. “Yeah,” he mumbles. Eunkwang is going to be hurting when they wake up again most likely, and at least in his own bed, Eunkwang won’t also be dealing with a stiff neck and back. He sets his unfinished beer down on the table.
“Make sure you get Changsub to his bed once you’re done eating. And get some sleep yourselves, too,” he tells Hyunsik and Peniel.
“Yes hyung,” they chorus.
Satisfied that he’s performed his duty as a hyung in admonishing the younger members to get to bed, he shifts Eunkwang around gently.
Eunkwang whines softly, rubbing his face harder into Minhyuk’s thigh, but his eyes crack open the slightest bit.
“Come on, you need to get to bed,” he tells Eunkwang softly, running his hand through Eunkwang’s hair.
Eunkwang hums a soft note, his eyes opening a bit more.
Minhyuk gets himself standing and pulls Eunkwang up, letting him lean heavily and sleepily against Minhyuk’s side. Keeping a steadying hand on Eunkwang’s waist, he bids everyone good night, even though it’s in the middle of the day. He’s still adjusting a bit to the new dorm, and there’s still heaps of things from everyone littering the hall, so it takes him a bit to get himself and Eunkwang carefully to the bedroom. It’s empty at the moment, the curtains drawn tightly to block out the light.
He helps Eunkwang down to the mattress on the floor since Eunkwang is already mostly back asleep.
Or not, he corrects himself as Eunkwang tugs him into lying down too. Eunkwang leans over and presses several lingering, soft kisses to the corner of Minhyuk’s mouth. “Thank you Minhyuk-ah,” he quietly mumbles, his voice deeper than normal. He wraps an arm around Minhyuk’s waist and shoves his head right into Minhyuk’s chest, nearly instantly dropping back into sleep.
Minhyuk takes a shuddering breath in. It feels like all of his hair is standing on end like it does when he flips, with the same feeling in his stomach. He can’t recall if he’s ever heard Eunkwang’s voice like that before, and it feels like he just heard something very intimate instead of just a simple thanks. Maybe it was just because of Eunkwang kissing him at the same time, but maybe there was something else that he needs to pay attention to.
He knows he should probably gently extract himself and move over to his bunk. But this is just… comfortable. Calm.
It’s just so easy to lay his hand across Eunkwang’s waist again. A lot of things with Eunkwang are just easy. He should really try to fall asleep as well before everyone else piles in and it’s too chaotic for him to wind down.
It takes him a moment to notice that he’s slowly running his hand up and down Eunkwang’s back. It’s so slender to carry the weight of everything he has to. Pulling Eunkwang closer, he presses his lips into Eunkwang’s hair, his emotions bubbling up and over.
Closing his eyes, he listens to Eunkwang’s soft, steady breathing until he too falls asleep, content with Eunkwang in his arms.
They’re debuting tomorrow.
Tomorrow.
Minhyuk feels like his stomach is on a rollercoaster with all the nerves, not only from himself, but also from everyone else. Everyone is giddy at the same time that they’re all nervous. He’s still on his first and only beer, and he knows he really shouldn’t be drinking, but he’s been so… excited and nervous. He needs to dull the sharp edge the tiniest bit before he explodes.
He jumps a bit when he feels a hand sliding across his back. It takes him a second to recognize the feel of Eunkwang’s small hand and the familiar… sense… that Eunkwang has. He relaxes back into Eunkwang as Eunkwang softly massages the back of his neck.
He takes in a deep breath and slowly lets it out, a small kick of guilt working through him. He needs to be there for Eunkwang, to support him, and yet Eunkwang is here, being here for him.
“Sorry,” he mumbles, pouting as he stares at the open can. Maybe if he stares hard enough, he might be able to breathe.
“For what?” Eunkwang asks, his voice soft. His hand is still on the back of Minhyuk’s neck, his small but strong fingers loosening up tense muscles.
Minhyuk shrugs. Words are clogging his throat and his mind, and he can’t get them out.
Eunkwang hums, his fingers continuing to work on Minhyuk’s neck. He stays silent other than that one hum, letting the silence close in on them.
Minhyuk plays with the condensation on the can instead of drinking from it. “You give so much,” he finally says. Other than a brief pause of Eunkwang’s fingers, there’s no other reaction. “I just… I don’t know. I should be able to do this myself.” And just like that, the words are untangled and pouring from his mouth. “You already have to take care of everyone and I try to take care of you, but you’re here helping me, and…”
His voice dies as he registers Eunkwang’s soft lips against his cheek.
“Silly,” Eunkwang teasingly chides. “Did you forget you’re part of everyone, too?”
Minhyuk’s mouth works for a second, his mind pausing. “Oh…” He feels his cheeks flush. “I uh… I guess I did.”
Eunkwang easily plucks the beer can out of Minhyuk’s hand and sets it down. “Come back to bed,” he says.
Minhyuk sighs, staring down at the floor. “I can’t sleep. I’m just too…”
Eunkwang brushes his fingers under Minhyuk’s chin, bringing his face back up. “So sleep with me.”
The context is innocuous, but the words roll around in Minhyuk’s head as he lets Eunkwang tug him up and back to the bedroom. He can tell from the stillness of the room that everyone is asleep, even with Sungjae’s snoring. He stares blankly at the dark room for a moment.
“Hey, are you okay?”
Minhyuk blinks. Is he okay? It feels like a punch in the gut when he remembers he kept thinking about that question the first time Eunkwang kissed him.
He forces a smile and nods. Settling down onto Eunkwang’s bed, he lets Eunkwang drag him close. His body is already relaxing while his mind whirs.
Is he okay?
He can hear Eunkwang’s heart beating over the snores. It’s steady and reassuring.
Is he okay?
The realization slams into him as he stares at Eunkwang’s face in the darkness.
Oh.
He can’t move without waking Eunkwang, so he has to stay still and try to unpack this entire realization.
He wants to kiss Eunkwang. A proper kiss, not some slightly tipsy or drunk kiss. A real kiss. A kiss that says he is interested in Eunkwang. A kiss that doesn’t flirt but makes promises instead. A kiss that will burn them both to ashes for them to be reborn as together.
Maybe less than twenty-four hours to debut isn’t the best time to have this kind of revelation.
Anxiety tries to take root within that revelation, but it fits so poorly that Minhyuk can’t even be bothered to give it more than a passing thought. He would normally be concerned that this was just… him. Not them.
But the way Eunkwang acts, talks, is around the others is different. He’s caring and kind, always playful, always touching.
Eunkwang doesn’t hold onto their waist for a second too long.
Eunkwang doesn’t sleep on them.
Eunkwang goes to their bed when someone is having a hard time or a bad day or a nightmare and just needs reassurance.
He doesn’t pull anyone else into his bed aside from Minhyuk.
Minhyuk told himself that it was just because they’re the same age, so of course Eunkwang would just be more comfortable with him. He told himself that they were just friends, that he wasn’t interested. That they were just drunk or playing around.
Sighing softly, he leans into Eunkwang, letting the steady thump under his ear calm his spinning mind. Tomorrow is debut and they’re scheduled for all broadcasts for the entire weekend, plus a few extra schedules.
Finding time to pull Eunkwang away from everyone else, to carve out space for him to try and pull the words together to explain that he and him should turn into them isn’t going to be easy.
He finally drifts off to sleep, dreaming of kissing Eunkwang.
“I don’t know how I missed that note,” Changsub complains, taking a shot of soju. “I’ve practiced it for how many times and I missed the note?!”
Changsub has been ranting ever since they got back to the dorm, as if his own body betrayed him somehow. Minhyuk takes his shot. He muses that it’s a good thing Changsub is such a free spirit that he can just move on from a voice crack on national tv… but only after complaining about it.
Minhyuk probably would have already been trying to jump off a bridge somewhere if it were him.
“Hyung, it happens,” Hyunsik tries. “All we can do is try to learn from it.”
Minhyuk looks up at the rustle of plastic bags. Eunkwang is back from picking up food, and to Minhyuk’s eyes, he’s still glowing, shining brighter than the stage lights that dazzled him. He’d chosen his spot carefully, close to Changsub, but with enough room that Eunkwang could sit between them. The noise level increases as Sungjae and Ilhoon bully their way into joining everyone, even as at least two of the managers try to shoo them out.
A space is cleared of alcohol for Peniel, Ilhoon, and Sungjae to sit and at least have some food for their debut celebration at Eunkwang’s insistence. Minhyuk watches him, knowing that he probably looks like a lovesick fool.
Maybe he is a lovesick fool. It’s okay. He’s okay.
Just as he suspected, Eunkwang easily fits into the space between he and Changsub, leaning into Minhyuk’s side. Minhyuk slides his hand around Eunkwang’s waist, squeezing softly. This is normal, routine. No one reacts as Eunkwang slides down to lounge comfortably in Minhyuk’s lap.
Minhyuk strokes his hand lightly up and down Eunkwang’s side, watching him, wondering if he should just kiss Eunkwang like he wants to right now. He wonders if he’ll immolate if he tries. Eunkwang is incandescent still. Minhyuk’s breath catches when Eunkwang looks up at him with a brilliant smile. He can feel the heat crawling up his body from where Eunkwang is in his lap, threatening to ignite.
Eunkwang’s smile fades off, but it’s replaced with a look that Minhyuk doesn’t entirely know how to describe. Something stirs in his stomach, and it takes him a second to realize that Eunkwang is shifting, sliding further into his lap and looping his arms up around Minhyuk’s shoulders to get his mouth close to Minhyuk’s ear.
“What’s that look for?” Eunkwang asks, his voice soft.
Minhyuk looks over, his mouth parted to give some kind of undoubtedly stupid answer.
Eunkwang hadn’t leaned back. His lips are against Eunkwang’s mouth.
Eunkwang’s lips part for a soft gasp, and Minhyuk catches fire. He doesn’t stop to think, he acts instantly.
His hand comes up to grab the back of Eunkwang’s head, his eyes fluttering closed as he eliminates the imperceptible gap between them. He licks into Eunkwang’s mouth, his tongue curling around Eunkwang’s.
Eunkwang sinks into him, arms turning firm around his neck as he kisses Minhyuk back. A soft, needy sound floats between them, tasting of a bit of soju, a bit of beer, and entirely of them. It’s electrifying the way that kissing Eunkwang is a full sensory experience.
They kiss until they’re breathless, and Eunkwang backs off, gasping for air. It takes Minhyuk a second to realize that he’s trying to chase after Eunkwang’s lips even as he tries to draw air into his starving lungs. He pulls at Eunkwang’s head to press their lips together again, feather soft while they both catch their breath.
Minhyuk knows that now is the time to ensure that Eunkwang knows that this isn’t tipsy, this isn’t drunk, not something that will be denied when they wake up. He wants to press every promise in him into Eunkwang’s mouth, but his mind is also short circuiting at finally getting to properly taste Eunkwang.
“Us,” he says lowly, his voice raspy and raw.
“Us?” Eunkwang questions, his voice almost tasting of hope and incredulity.
“You. Me. Us,” Minhyuk gasps, not able to get much more out of his scrambled mind. He feels drunk, not on alcohol, but on Eunkwang alone, and it’s addicting.
Eunkwang pulls back, his arms loosening from around Minhyuk’s neck. Minhyuk whines, closing his eyes. He knows he didn’t misread this. He knows, but that doesn’t stop his stomach from lurching.
“Look at me,” Eunkwang murmurs, his fingers soft against Minhyuk’s cheeks.
Minhyuk shakes his head, feeling tears already pooling in his eyes. Now anxiety is flooding him, taking control and turning what he was sure was a firm fact into smoke and illusions.
“Please?”
Eunkwang’s voice is a little shaky, and it calms Minhyuk enough to crack his eyes open. Eunkwang’s face clears the anxiety, the illusions turning into solid facts once more, and he feels brave enough to fully open his eyes.
The room is silent and still, and honestly Minhyuk doesn’t know if the rest of the world exists outside of them. Everyone could be watching them, everyone could have left, and he doesn’t know or care. He almost hopes that everyone is still there, watching them, so it’s known that this is real. Not some flash brought on by the giddiness of debut or soaked in alcohol.
Something real, something solid for them both to stand on.
Their own little island where they can build something long-lasting, even in a worst-case scenario where the company decides to try and scrap their group for something more profitable. That solid foundation that can let both of them fight for their little fledgling family.
He knows what he wants, and he’s not going to stop until he gets it, even if the stakes are high. He wants their group to succeed, he wants them to last for ages.
But the most important thing is being next to and with Eunkwang for all of it.
“Us?” Eunkwang questions again.
“Us,” Minhyuk repeats. “Us, together, for as long as we can, and for real,” he says.
“You’re sure?”
“I’m not drunk, Eunkwang. I’m not even tipsy, and I know you aren’t either. I’ve been sure about this since you asked me yesterday if I was okay. I’m very okay if I’m with you. It took me a while to get here and understand what’s going on, but I’m here now.” Eunkwang’s cheeks are turning red and Minhyuk brushes his lips across the heated skin. “Please don’t say no,” he whispers, his words catching in his throat.
Eunkwang grabs his face, and for a split second, Minhyuk actually thinks that Eunkwang is trying to get up and turn him down.
There are a few tears leaking out of the corners of Eunkwang’s eyes. “As if I could say anything other than yes. I want us to be together, too,” he murmurs, his thumb rubbing against Minhyuk’s jaw. He bends slightly, slotting their mouths together.
Minhyuk groans and falls onto his back, taking Eunkwang with him. Getting his hands on Eunkwang properly, running them down Eunkwang’s back to squeeze at his hips before grabbing two glorious handfuls of Eunkwang’s ass to haul him even closer, it’s thrilling in a new kind of way. Sure he’d kissed other guys before, he’d fooled around with other guys, but kissing Eunkwang is a wholly different experience.
Maybe because he loves Eunkwang.
Eunkwang moans into his mouth, breaking their kiss to once again take a breath in. “Fuck I want…”
“Want what?” Minhyuk asks, heat starting to swirl in his body.
“Everything,” Eunkwang growls, swooping in for another consuming kiss. He lets Eunkwang lead him, their mouths fitting together easily – a little imperfectly, but Minhyuk knows that they’ve got time for them to get it perfect – while they slowly learn the taste and feel of each other.
The floor does get uncomfortable after a bit, but even still, Minhyuk whines as Eunkwang gives his mouth a final lick before pulling back. Their hands keep reaching for each other, stroking jaws or a collarbone or the long curve of a back. Minhyuk gasps as Eunkwang lightly runs his nails up Minhyuk’s neck, his hips arching up, a sudden burst of heat burning through him.
Eunkwang’s breath shudders out and he grips Minhyuk’s waist tightly. “We are going to continue this,” he says, nosing at Minhyuk’s cheek. “But we do need to get some sleep, too.”
Minhyuk smiles, fondness filling him. “Yeah we do.”
Eunkwang sighs and Minhyuk can feel the reluctance radiating off Eunkwang as he gets up onto his knees.
Minhyuk looks around as the realization of silence around them presses in. “Where did everyone go?” he asks.
“Hopefully to bed, which is where we need to go.”
Eunkwang helps him up, his left knee a little stiff from where he’d been twisted on the floor, and waits until Minhyuk shakes out the stiffness before pulling back. They peek into the bedroom. Everyone is still awake, most everyone on their phones.
Eunkwang looks at Minhyuk, his nose crinkling. Minhyuk fondly rolls his eyes in response.
“Ya, get to sleep,” Eunkwang says into the room before he leans against the wall next to the door, tugging Minhyuk into him. There’s various squawks and noises of surprise that float over the soft kiss Eunkwang places on Minhyuk’s lips, and Minhyuk leans in, still wanting more. Eunkwang pulls back again, looking a bit grumpy. “You,” he mutters, kissing the tip of Minhyuk’s nose. “Get to bed too.”
Minhyuk’s lips curl teasingly. “Yours or mine?” he laughs.
“You to yours and me to mine,” Eunkwang says firmly. “If we’re together, I’m not going to stop kissing you and we’re not going to get any sleep at all.”
He pouts slightly, but knows Eunkwang has a point. “Okay.”
Eunkwang groans and kisses him again, holding his head in place as he licks into Minhyuk mouth for an all too brief moment. “Bed,” he growls, shoving Minhyuk to the side and into the doorway.
Minhyuk feels his cheeks and ears heating as everyone else stares at him curiously as he slides onto his bed. He’s glad he changed when they got back to the dorm into comfortable enough clothing that he can sleep in. “What?” he questions as Eunkwang grabs his pajamas and leaves again.
“So…” Ilhoon starts. “You and Eunkwang hyung?”
“Yes,” Minhyuk says, staring at the top bunk. He can see Peniel leaning over in his peripheral vision.
“Seriously, right now?” Changsub returns.
Minhyuk turns his head, glaring at Changsub for a moment for the tone of his voice. “It’s not like any other time was or is going to be ideal,” he points out.
“Enough,” Eunkwang orders as he comes back, turning off the light and dropping down on his mattress. “We all have to be up in less than four hours to get back to the company for practice and then to the salon and studio right after that.”
“Yes hyung,” come a chorus of voices.
Minhyuk closes his eyes, his fingers brushing his lips as he hugs his pillow to his chest.
He goes to sleep remembering the taste and feel of Eunkwang’s mouth against his own, knowing that it’s just the beginning of their time together.