Work Text:
Finals are coming.
And yet, Jisung can't find it in himself to say no when his “study” partner asks for a nap break. For the 4th time in their study session, Chenle climbs onto his lap and dozes off once again. He should just let it go and relax, Jisung thinks. His eyes start to flutter and he joins Chenle in his slumber.
Thanks to the frequency of these breaks, Jisung feels himself instinctively waking up a few minutes before their break (unfortunately) ends. Without thinking, his hand travels to fiddle with Chenle's hair with the remaining time he has left to.
Their 20 minutes have finally passed.
“Break time’s over bro…”
Jisung speaks up, still twiddling his fingers with Chenle's hair strands. Chenle shuffles in frustration, digging his head further into JIsung's neck.
“Dude, shut up.. You're ruining this..”
He replies with grogginess embedded into his voice, going back to get (even more) shuteye.
Jisung wasn't entirely sure what exactly he was ruining, but he thinks spending the rest of the afternoon like this wouldn't be so bad. If anything, throwing away his rationality for their upcoming tests out the window, he'd be ecstatic to spend an entire week like this if it was with Chenle. He gives into the comfort of warmth and lulls back to sleep without a care in the world.
-
The clock just hit 2am. Chenle and Jisung are on their 6th game of the night, and to add, on a terrible loss streak. Chenle groans, slamming a fist on their shared desk. Jisung pats him on the back.
“Do you still wanna play another round?..”
He asks, with a careful tone in his voice, scared of what Chenle becomes when he's agitated. He makes the effort to leave the lobby for them both, just to prevent anything Chenle might want to say to their teammates.
“I'm tired. Let's sleep together, bro.”
Jisung's eyes widened, that was certainly a choice of words.
“Huh?..”
He says with his smile slowly faltering.
“Chill out, dude. It's 2am, I can't be bothered to walk to my own room.”
He sighs, shoulders finally less tense.
“It's just for convenience.”
Chenle calls Jisung over to his bed, already getting comfortable tumbling in his sheets. Jisung braces himself for the night, knowing he's getting the opposite of rest tonight.
Jisung finally composes himself and gets onto the bed, sprawling his limbs out on the mattress. He relaxes until he feels Chenle's arms bringing him into a hug by the waist. His eyes shoot open, praying Chenle can’t hear his chest practically bursting open. Just when he thinks it can't get worse, Chenle throws his leg over him. His body is cold and is probably scrambling for warmth, and all Jisung can do is offer his.
Jisung is enjoying this greatly, but it would be a lie to say he isn't utterly terrified right now. Having no idea what to do in his position, he rests his hand atop Chenle's shoulder, in hopes of seeming like he's not about to lose his mind. He tries his best to relish in the moment but his eyes inevitably flutter, finally blurring into the state of unconsciousness.
-
The bus is emptier and quiet, a rare sight. The two had stayed outside late today for a group project. The moment they finished, they quickly rushed to leave to finally get the rest they deserve. Because of how late it is, the ride home was thankfully quiet and uninterrupted.
“This feels like the longest ride I've ever had in my life. I'm literally about to fall asleep.”
Chenle whines as he watches Jisung mindlessly play another scammy mobile game he installed from an ad.
“Bear with it dude. If anything, this is the most peaceful one we'll ever have in our lives.”
He replied, still tapping away at his phone, desperately trying to avoid losing.
To his misfortune, he loses the game round. He sighs and lays his shoulders on the cushions behind him, shutting his phone off with frustration.
“What a loser, let me try.”
Chenle laughs, snatching Jisung's phone to satiate his competitive nature. Jisung watches him as he, funnily enough, also loses. What did they expect from a random game downloaded from a strange ad? Chenle turns the phone off, pretending like he didn't just lose.
Chenle finally gives in to his exhaustion afterwards, finding Jisung's shoulder to rest on top of. He pushes his back to support his neck and get comfortable. Jisung thinks this has happened enough times, and accepts the situation. He's tired too, after all; he has no energy to freak out right now. He relaxes and closes his eyes, wanting to get some rest too.
The feeling of the hard and rough seats of the bus have been completely overridden by the sensation of Chenle's head on his shoulder.
-
The afternoon sun's rays pass through the window, it's a cozy atmosphere painted with orange hues. Jisung's last class has finally ended, Chenle dropping by his room to pick him up and return back home. Unluckily for him, Jisung wanted to finish some work his lecturer handed out, insisting it'll be quick.
“Fine, whatever. I'm going to sleep, wake me when you're done.”
He hugs his head in between his arms and Jisung breathes a sigh of relief, just thankful Chenle didn't put up a fight. But his head shoots up again, glaring holes into Jisung's eyes.
“Take more than an hour and I'm not making dinner.”
After his warning, he falls back down on the desk, resting his head on top of his arms. Jisung expected some kind of condition anyway.
He works fast, remembering Chenle's words. He'd rather die than miss a great meal from Chenle. It doesn't help that he's not much of a cook himself, making the only possible outcomes for the situation to either starve or get takeout. Not wanting to spend money, he reestablishes his focus on what he's doing, nearing the end of his workload.
Just when he's about to finish, his state of concentration is abruptly interrupted by soft snores. Jisung gives himself a minute or two to fondly watch Chenle, the afternoon’s colors hitting his skin. His appearance looks warmer, the atmosphere cradling his face perfectly. Jisung wants to remember this image forever.
He finally completes everything he has on his hands, within Chenle's deadline too. He wishes the sight of him sleeping so soundly in such a perfect setting would last forever, staring at him a little more before waking him.
“Hey, finished within an hour, boss. Excited for the meal later.”
Jisung ruffles his hair and shoots him a cheeky smile when Chenle finally looks back at him.
“Whatever.”
He scoffs, getting up and taking his stuff.
Jisung can't wait for that meal, but he can't help but think seeing Chenle earlier all snug was enough to fill him for the day.
-
Late at night, Jisung finds himself buried in even more work again. His shoulders are slumped and he just wants to get everything over with. The fatigue is settling into his body and he might just call it a night. He lets out a loud groan to release his frustration and continues to work.
From across the hall, Chenle is still wide awake playing games. Hearing Jisung's exasperated noise, he drops what he's doing and walks into his room. ‘What could he possibly be doing at this hour?’ he thinks, and is greeted with the sight of a sunken-eyed Jisung hard at work.
Jisung hears the drag of another chair behind him, sighing with annoyance at the sound, already fed up with his burden of work. Chenle drops his head onto Jisung's back, Jisung’s shyness bubbling at how intimate it felt. Despite how skittish he feels at the moment, he pushes it aside and keeps working.
“What are you doing here?”
He says, continuing to work with Chenle on his back.
“Blessing you with my presence, stop talking and get back to work so you can actually go to sleep.”
Chenle buries himself further into his back, resting his shoulder on it, too. Closing his eyes, he drifts off to sleep while keeping Jisung company.
Jisung's heart softens at his barely disguised concern for him. He finds himself in a better mood and ironically feels lighter after feeling the heaviness on his posterior.
-
“It'll be fun, Ji, I promise!”
Chenle smiles as he gets dressed, trying to uplift Jisung knowing how he feels about parties. Deeming himself as ready to leave, he checks if Jisung is the same. Jisung threw on something that looks like he chose the first jacket and sweatpants his eyes landed on. Chenle grumbles at the lack of effort but remembers this isn't really the kind of occasion Jisung would even think about attending in the first place.
They book a taxi, and to say the ride was awkward is an understatement. Jisung’s dread for the event already settled in the night before, thinking about the discomfort he'd be in the entire time.
Chenle has no idea how to extinguish Jisung's negative feelings about the whole ordeal, leaving their travel to the destination to be nothing but silent.
They're welcomed by Jaemin at the door, with enthusiasm littered all over his greeting.
“You guys made it! I didn't think you'd get Jisung to come, haha.”
He opens the door for the two, sending them in and telling them to have fun. Chenle quickly runs off to other familiar faces to chat with them, his hand still clutching Jisung's. Watching Chenle so immersed in numerous conversations, Jisung feels slightly alienated and decides to find something else to direct his attention towards. Chenle feels Jisung’s hand slipping from his grip and looks back.
“Where’re you going, Ji?”
He abruptly stops his conversations out of his concern for his best friend, worried he's trying to leave thanks to discomfort.
“Just thought I might wanna try to enjoy myself with the stuff here, or something, I don't know.”
Bringing his hand to the back of his neck, feeling embarrassment creeping as eyes are on him. Chenle stopped his chatting just to attend to him after all.
“What? Really? Go ahead!”
There is disbelief and surprise laced into his words, but it's nothing compared to how overjoyed he feels hearing Jisung actually wanting to branch out on his own.
Admittedly, Jisung feels a little disappointed that Chenle had no problem parting ways with him, but he was happy for him after all. Browsing the house, He aimlessly wanders off to find something to do. While doing so, he’s made himself aware of his hunger, ‘I might as well look into the kitchen, too.’ he thinks.
He finally finds himself in the kitchen, seeing groups of people drink like there's no tomorrow. The hunger and thirst is frustrating him and unfortunately the only thing he can fill himself with is alcohol. Unable to think or find something else to do, he drinks despite being a lightweight just to quell his boredom.
Unfortunately for Chenle, Jisung's decision to get tipsy ultimately turned him into Chenle's responsibility for the night. He froze hearing Renjun scream his name, practically sprinting to see what possibly could’ve happened.
“He threw up all over me, I can't believe this.. Bring him home, he looks like he might pass out any moment now.”
Jisung was being held up by Renjun, still retching and gagging. He then passes him to Chenle, immediately running to the nearest bathroom to get cleaned up. It doesn't take any second guessing to see that Jisung clearly needs to lie down in the comfort of his own bed. He clumsily stumbles towards the house's exit with a barely conscious Jisung slung on his shoulder.
“What could've possibly prompted you to even think about drinking?”
He sets him down on the stairs leading up to the door, following to sit right after. They’re seated staring at the road, waiting for a taxi to come pass by.
“I was just thirsty and hungry.”
Jisung's head starts to fall over, colliding with his shoulder, Chenle swiftly catches his head and rests it on top of his shoulder for support. Jisung's eyelids start to droop as he starts to mumble incoherently about how he found himself in his situation, slowly drifting from relevance and shifting towards utter nonsense. Weirdly enough, Chenle finds himself zoning out listening to Jisung's babbling.
“I love you, Le.”
Chenle stiffens. He doesn't believe what he just heard and ends up shrugging it off. After Jisung's absentminded confession, he digs his head into Chenle's neck without thinking and dozes off. Chenle sighs, continuing to wait for a ride with Jisung fast asleep by his side.
When he's finally able to catch a taxi, the travel is once again silent. It's a different kind of discomfort from their ride earlier, with Jisung knocked unconscious and Chenle constantly being reminded of the words he uttered mindlessly. He's already planning his strategic gameplan containing him acting like he can't recall a thing in case Jisung ever brings it up. To quell his panic, he tries to sleep it off during the rest of the ride.
Much to Chenle's dismay, the arrival to their shared apartment was brief this time. Thankfully, it seems like Jisung has no capacity to even think about talking. Chenle leads him towards their bathroom, and feeling absolutely humiliated and shameful (over a confession he didn't even initiate), changes Jisung’s clothes. It's an unfamiliar feeling, taking care of a wasted Jisung; it's normally the other way around. Jisung always makes sure Chenle can rest well after enjoying himself a little too much, and now, it's his opportunity to return his efforts.
Before settling Jisung into his sheets, he holds him by the arms to lay him down. After throwing on his blanket, Chenle goes to leave to get rest himself. As he sits up from the bed, he feels a weak tug at his shirt. When he looks back, he sees a dazed and fluttery-eyed Jisung with Chenle's shirt in his hold.
“What is it? You feeling better?”
He stops himself from leaving to check on Jisung's current state, just wanting to make sure he's okay again while Jisung can still speak.
“It's chilly, sleep here tonight? Please?”
Chenle's heart softens seeing him so vulnerable like this and asking for his warmth. He finds himself obliging to the younger's request and lays down on his back, a rare instance where he isn't the first to initiate skinship. That doesn't mean it won't be initiated, though. Jisung starts to wriggle his way to hold onto his arms, and unlike the movement of his head at earlier’s doze off at Jaemin's front door, it feels more purposeful and intentional.
While Jisung is partially conscious, the bravery stemming from the alcohol hasn't worn off yet.
“Chenle? You haven't given me a reply yet.. Sorry if it came out of the blue.”
He says, still slurring and stumbling on his words. Chenle can't help but feel relieved, his feelings are seriously reciprocated and it wasn't just something he'd have to shrug off.
“You're seriously such an idiot. I can't believe you.”
He laughs, just finally feeling lighter after mentally confirming how the other feels about him.
“Is that a no? I don't really mind either way.. Just stay with me.” Jisung deflates a little, the grip on Chenle's arms slightly weakening.
Chenle turns over to face him.
“Come here, I'll give you my answer. Hurry up or you won't hear it.”
His arms opened to invite Jisung in. He shuffles around to get into Chenle's space, securing himself with a light hug over his waist.
“I'm listening now.”
Jisung looks up at his face, scared he's already missed it. He doesn't know what to expect and braces himself for every possible answer he can (barely) think of.
He doesn't expect it at all, Chenle's hands cradle his face as he plants a kiss on his forehead. Jisung can feel his cheeks burning up, feeling embarrassment as he's still directly facing Chenle.
“Was my answer enough?”
Chenle laughs, watching his surprised expression fondly. Jisung sees this as a chance to jest.
“I don't know, I'm not really sure. Could you explain to me just a little more so I get it?”
He says while wiggling his head closer, offering his face to be pecked further.
“You're unbelievable, Ji.”
His actions betray his words though, pulling him in to pepper his face in an immeasurable amount of kisses. He reaches his nose and hesitates before lowering himself.
“Are you chickening out, Le? I still didn't really catch your answer, you know.”
He mocks playfully, a grin starting to form on his lips. He's just messing around, he doesn't actually expect him to go through with it.
“Don't play around with me, dude. It's almost like you want me to stop.”
Chenle flicks his forehead and a teasing smirk starts to creep onto his face.
“We're back to dude now? You can't be serious-”
Chenle shuts Jisung up by finally setting his lips on his, the hold on Jisung's face tightening. Jisung freezes for a moment but ultimately melts into it. Chenle lightly bites his bottom lip, a display of his victory against Jisung's prior mockery. This elicits a lovingly annoyed groan from Jisung, unfortunately accepting his defeat. It's a soft and sweet kiss, they savor it for as long as they can, wishing it would last forever. When they pull away, Chenle brings Jisung closer, throwing an arm over him and bringing the other closer to pet his head. Chenle running his hands through his hair brings him relaxation.
“You can have more of this tomorrow, let's just get some shuteye for now.”
Chenle chuckles pointing his finger towards the clock that reads 3am. Jisung settles into his warmth and closes his eyes. Before falling asleep, he had just one more thing to say. Something Chenle wasn't completely sure of earlier.
“I think I caught your answer now. I love you, Chenle.”