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Riki was exhausted. He felt his legs give out as he stopped the music in the dark room, the beats fading into silence. He sighed and let himself slowly sink to the floor.
Now, Riki wasn’t a stranger to sleepless nights, practicing the choreography until every move was burned into his muscle memory. He knew his limits and how to push them, but he also knew how much his members would scold him if he overworked himself like he used to in their early days. Still, tonight, he was beyond tired.
Riki was so tired that even getting up to head back to the dorm felt like too much effort. And he liked to exercise.
He groaned as he clutched his stomach, feeling the hunger pangs he always ignored during practice. It was so typical of him to forget to eat.
His first instinct was to call their manager, but he immediately dismissed the thought. Their manager already had enough on his plate; Riki didn't want to burden him. The man always did his best for them, and Riki couldn’t bring himself to disturb him for something as trivial as this.
His second thought, as always, was Jungwon. His boyfriend, the leader of the group, the man who’d captured his heart from the moment they met. According to Sunoo, "Riki fell first, but Jungwon fell harder." Riki chuckled to himself at the cheesiness of it all.
He stared at his phone, debating whether or not to call Jungwon. He didn’t want to bother him, especially this late. Jungwon was probably tired from the endless responsibilities of being a leader, and Riki would never forgive himself for troubling him over something like this.
He groaned again when he felt the familiar sting in his legs, the aftermath of hours of practice. Riki closed his eyes, contemplating whether he should just give in to the exhaustion. If he fell asleep here, he knew he’d be met with a chorus of scoldings in the morning, but it seemed like the only option.
As his mind began to drift, he hummed a soft tune. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had fallen asleep in the practice room. Sure, they got stares and concerned looks the next day, but it was nothing new. Riki was certain he’d wake up with a sore back and a stiff neck, but a few hours of sleep sounded worth it.
“...Riki, you in here?” The familiar voice cut through his thoughts, and Riki immediately recognized it as Jungwon’s. Even in his tired state, Riki could always distinguish his boyfriend’s honeyed voice. He smiled softly but cursed inwardly, knowing Jungwon would worry when he saw him like this.
“Riki...?” Jungwon’s voice was closer now, and Riki forced himself to look at the floor, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
Before he could even react, he felt arms gently wrapping around him, pulling him close and rocking him lazily back and forth.
“Angel... why are you still here?” Jungwon whispered against his ear, and Riki had to fight the shiver that ran down his spine at the older’s voice. Riki guessed Jungwon had been recording— both of them had this self-destructive tendency when it came to perfection.
“Same as you, Hyung…” Riki mumbled, and he felt Jungwon stiffen for a moment before letting out a soft sigh and pressing a kiss to his forehead.
“Can you get up, Riki?” Jungwon asked, his hand resting gently on the small of Riki’s back. Riki shook his head, the pain in his legs making even standing up feel impossible.
“Carry me?” Riki asked playfully, his eyes wide as he looked up at Jungwon with an exaggerated pout. Of course, he was joking. He would never ask Jungwon to carry him, especially when he could see the bags forming under his eyes.
Jungwon chuckled softly, his voice warm.
And in the blink of an eye, Riki was lifted into the air, completely caught off guard but secretly grateful.
“Ay- Jungwon-hyung! Put me down!” Riki pleaded, half-laughing, as he was effortlessly princess-carried out of the practice room. Jungwon tightened his grip, a small smirk playing on his lips.
Riki couldn’t help but wonder when exactly his hyung had started working out. He was more than sure Jungwon couldn’t have carried him this easily before.
“Didn’t you just ask me to carry you?” Jungwon asked, and Riki rolled his eyes, knowing there was no point in arguing with the leader. He wrapped his arms around Jungwon’s neck, burying his face in the older’s chest to hide his embarrassment.
“Feeling clingy now, huh?” Jungwon teased, and Riki could feel that familiar boyish smile radiating from the older’s face.
“No.” Riki muttered, though he couldn’t suppress the smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
“Uh-huh.”
Without realizing how much time had passed, Riki found himself placed gently onto one of the leather seats of their company van. Jungwon sat next to him, pressing close, and Riki instinctively reached for his hand, squeezing it.
“Thanks for not letting me sleep in there,” Riki mumbled, his exhaustion still lingering. Jungwon sighed softly, kissing Riki’s temple.
“You’re out of your mind if you think I was letting you stay in there, angel,” Jungwon replied, his voice tender. Riki smiled, feeling the warmth of his hand being squeezed back.
“You just wanted your cuddle buddy, huh?” Riki teased, poking Jungwon’s side. The older one only snorted in amusement.
“Maybe.”
They sat in comfortable silence for the rest of the ride, Jungwon’s head resting on Riki’s shoulder, his hand rubbing soothingly against Riki’s thigh. By the time they reached the dorm, Jungwon stepped out first, always the gentleman, and held the door open for Riki.
They both bid their goodbyes to the security guard and driver before entering the dorm, only to be greeted by complete darkness and the eerie quiet that could be broken by the sound of a pin dropping.
Once inside their room, Riki turned to Jungwon, a playful glint in his eyes. “Can I be the little spoon?”
Jungwon crawled into bed beside him, sending a flirty smile his way. “Isn’t that how it always is though?”
Riki slapped his arm in mock annoyance. “Shut up.” But he didn’t push Jungwon away when the elder's arm wrapped around his waist. Jungwon snorted softly.
“As you wish, angel.” He whispered, and Riki could tell Jungwon was already drifting into sleep, the steady rhythm of his breathing soon giving way to soft snores.
Riki smiled as he heard the soft snores, his heart swelling with warmth. He turned to face Jungwon, brushing a stray lock of hair from his forehead and pressing a gentle kiss to the tip of his nose.
“Thank you.”
Unconsciously, Jungwon tightened his hold around Riki, and the younger chuckled softly, finally allowing sleep to take over.