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Namjoon and Taehyung are roommates. Despite seeming to be polar opposites, they actually get along quite well.
Sure, Namjoon gets a bit irritated when Taehyung brings his two idiot friends over to their room and start playing like elementary school kids while Namjoon is trying to read. But for the most part, he’s bearable.
Actually, he can be enjoyable; especially when they laze around together on their beds, scrolling on their devices. They don’t say much to each other but somehow it’s a comfortable quiet, just being in each other’s presence. Occasionally, Taehyung breaks the silence to show Namjoon a funny video or a cute picture of a puppy, and they laugh together and exchange a few comments before looking back down at their screens. Some people might find that boring, but Namjoon and Taehyung’s relationship is a bit different like that. They might seem distant, but they have a special connection that doesn’t need to be said to know it. Probably because Taehyung is an alien.
These days, all of the members have been busy. They had just released their final songs in their Hwayang Yeonhwa album and were traveling all around back to back to perform songs, film videos, appear in variety shows, and attend interviews. No doubt, they’re all tired but this is the life and work of an idol. It’s not like this is their first debut, anyways. However, Taehyung has been the most tired among the seven.
Taehyung is filming for the drama “Hwarang” on top of his promotions as an idol, and it’s probably the most work Taehyung has ever done in his life. But he never complained once; frankly, he couldn’t be happier. It had been his dream for so many years to become an actor alongside his singing career, and he had finally made it. He couldn't help but feel so grateful for being given the opportunity to debut as an actor while debuting as a singer. He never faltered with his jokes and smiles and weird, energetic behavior and it was never forced, either. That's just how he was. Everyday, he woke up with a new excitement for what would unfold that day and went to sleep, content with his efforts he had made. He didn’t really realize how tired he really was, though, until he returned to his room late into the night and flopped on his bed face first, knocking out before he even hit the mattress.
And that’s how Taehyung fell asleep pretty much every night. Namjoon would stay up, sometimes as late as 4 am, to wait for Taehyung to come home before he, too, tiptoed into his own bed, turning the lamp off on the way. Taehyung barely noticed Namjoon most of the time while he shuffled into bed, stuck in zombie mode. But when he did notice, he would give a weak but genuine smile with half closed eyes, murmuring, “Good night, hyung,” before passing out.
Namjoon was definitely stressed out and tired as well, holding a lot of responsibility as a leader, but he felt bad and a bit worried for Taehyung as a leader and as a friend. Though he did not verbalize this concern, Taehyung knew how Namjoon felt and was thankful.
One day in particular, however, Namjoon accidentally fell asleep on Taehyung’s bed while waiting for him to return. Their beds were nearly attached to each other, pressed close to the sides. He ended up on Taehyung’s bed only because the wall outlet was closer to his roommate’s bed than his own, so he charged his tablet while he watched a couple YouTube videos. It was nearing 4 am when Namjoon felt his eyelids drooping. No matter how hard he tried, he could not fight the heaviness of sleep overcoming him, so he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.
Taehyung finally arrived home when it was around 5 am. He was beyond tired from the day’s exceptionally long work. He saw spots as he trudged to his bed, so he closed his eyes as he blindly stumbled into the bedroom. He didn’t even notice Namjoon sleeping quietly right by him and he fell asleep straight away.
Taehyung woke up with a start. It had only been half an hour or so after he had fallen asleep and the blinds in the room were starting to become highlighted by the gentle light beginning to appear outside. He had nearly jumped from a hand suddenly grabbing his own.
“What the heck- hyung?” he whispered in the darkness as he strained his eyes. Once his eyes had adjusted a bit, he could see the outline of his roommate lying on his side. He could make out a curved back, legs bent in almost a loose fetal position, and Namjoon’s peacefully sleeping face, mouth curled into a little smile. Finally, he recognized the grasp on his hand coming from Namjoon, following the arm extended from the figure.
Taehyung was a bit confused as to why Namjoon had suddenly held his hand in his sleep, but decided he had accidently done so while shifting his position. But when Taehyung tried to gently shake the hand off of his own, he found that Namjoon’s grip was strong and didn’t seem to want to budge. Taehyung tried again, shaking a bit harder while trying not to disturb Namjoon’s rest. But Namjoon’s eyes had started to flutter open halfway.
“Oh! Sorry for waking you up, hyung,” Taehyung really did feel sorry; he should've just let him sleep.
“Hm? Oh, you’re here,” Namjoon mumbled softly, voice dipped in sleep. It made his low voice sound even lower and raspier. He closed his eyes again and softly smacked his lips a few times. Taehyung expected Namjoon to let go of his hand since he had woken up, but to his surprise, it stayed in place, his grip feeling even more sure now. But at this point, Taehyung didn’t really mind at all. In fact, it felt comforting and soft. Not to mention it was quite the rare sight to see Namjoon act this way. Namjoon hyung is never like this , he thought, but it’s really cute. Taehyung smiled as he looked over at Namjoon’s gentle expression and soft breathing a bit more until he noticed it became difficult to keep his own eyes open. He eased into a deep sleep once again, barely whispering, “Good night,” before allowing his eyes to shut.