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Taesan climbed off the back of the motorbike he'd borrowed from their manager and squinted against the sunshine to read the sign on the building.
Hongdae Dental Offices
This wasn't exactly how he'd planned to spend his afternoon off but he supposed there were worse ways.
After a routine checkup a couple weeks ago, Leehan had been informed he had to have two of his wisdom teeth removed to prevent any potential future issues. Today was the day he'd been scheduled for the procedure. Manager-hyung had said he would pick Leehan up but Taesan had offered himself up instead, partly to be nice and partly because he always loved a good opportunity to get silly videos of the people he cared about. Leehan was a particular favorite, not that he was biased in the slightest.
He stopped in the lobby to speak with the nurse and within a couple of minutes he was striding through the halls towards the room Leehan was recovering in. When Taesan nudged the door open there he was, lounging on the reclining chair. His cheeks were puffy, a combination of swelling from the procedure and the gauze stuffed in his mouth to stop any bleeding. He was pouting up at the ceiling too which only made it worse.
Taesan couldn't help but think he looked cute as he snapped a quick picture before tucking his phone back in his pocket.
"Donghyun-ah~" Taesan kept his tone light so as not to startle him. "I'm here to take you home."
At the sound of his voice, Leehan's whole expression lit up.
"Dongmin!" There was a soft lilt around the familiar syllables of his name that made Taesan's lips quirk in amusement. "Hi."
"Yeah, you are."
The joke seemed to fly over Leehan's head, not that Taesan was surprised. The nurse at the front had already warned him that the younger would be pretty out of it for the next few hours until the pain meds wore off. His eyes were glassy from the anesthesia and he bounced eagerly in his seat as Taesan crossed the room. It was like watching a stoned puppy try to wag its tail: determined but wildly uncoordinated. Still cute though. Leehan clumsily reached for him, nearly causing him to topple out of the chair if Taesan hadn't caught him by the shoulders.
"Hey, take it easy. We're in no rush, okay?"
"Mm… I feel like jello. Hey Dongmin-ah, if I were jello what flavor do you think I'd be?" He looked so serious. Fuck, he was adorable.
Taesan stifled a snort at the strange question. "You can be whatever flavor you'd like, Donghyunie."
Leehan pursed his lips again like he was giving his answer some severe thought.
"Strawberry."
His favorite flavor then. Taesan couldn't say he was surprised. Sungho already had a whole bowl of it chilling in the fridge back at the dorm waiting for Leehan.
Slender fingers suddenly started poking at his cheeks as Leehan blinked up at him owlishly. Even with all the swelling he was still unfairly beautiful. Taesan tried not to let it show on his face how hard his heart started racing.
"Dongminie…" Leehan drew his name out like he was testing how it sounded. "I want jello now."
The poking grew more insistent. Taesan reached up to close his hands around Leehan's thin wrists, keeping his touch gentle but firm as he tugged them away from his face. "Ahh, I always forget how handsy you get when you're loopy."
Leehan giggled, the sound slightly muffled through his swollen mouth but still sweet. He didn't fight Taesan's hold on his hands but leaned closer like he was trying to go in for a hug, whining a little when the taller didn't let him. Leehan was the clingy sort when he was drunk, even more than he usually was, Taesan had lost count of the times that he'd piggybacked the younger home after they'd gone out for a few post-schedule drinks, not that he minded. He figured he'd get a few strange looks from the dental staff though if he walked out of the office with Leehan slung over his back.
"Alright, alright let's go huh? We'll get you home and you can have some of your precious jello. Maybe after a nap."
Taesan let go of Leehan's hands to grasp at his waist, helping to ease the younger down out of the chair. He swayed for a second when his feet hit the floor but seemed steady enough for Taesan to trust him to be able to walk on his own. He kept an arm around his shoulders just in case, feeling a bit protective since Leehan was vulnerable right now.
They went back to the desk where the nurse gave Taesan a pamphlet with post-operation care instructions and the prescription for antibiotics that they would get filled later. Taesan dipped his head gratefully. "Thank you."
She smiled back at him before turning it on Leehan, who was humming quietly to himself as he leaned further into Taesan's side cuddling his head into the crook of his neck. "Goodbye, Donghyun-ssi. Listen to your boyfriend, I'm sure he'll take good care of you."
Taesan sputtered for a second, feeling the tips of his ears heat but he didn't bother trying to correct her. She wasn't exactly wrong, if just a little off base. He and Leehan were more than just friends or groupmates— Taesan was well aware that people who were strictly friends didn't make out with the voracious enthusiasm that they did and platonic groupmates certainly didn't sleep together in a decidedly not-so-platonic way on a regular basis— but they hadn't made anything official either. Boyfriend certainly had a nice ring to it though, now that he'd heard it out loud.
Maybe he'd finally broach the subject. Once Leehan was feeling better, of course.
For now he thanked the nurse again and led Leehan outside to where he'd parked the bike. He climbed on first and tugged Leehan until the younger settled in behind him, curling his arms around Taesan's waist.
"Hold on tight to me, okay? I'm not going to explain to the others that you fell off the bike on our way home. The fans would never let me hear the end of it either if they found out."
Leehan hummed softly and rested his head against the middle of Taesan's back, tightening his grip obediently as if to show the older that he'd been paying attention. Taesan pulled away from the curb and took the ride slow, weaving carefully through the sparse mid-day traffic until they reached the dorm.
He helped Leehan climb off the bike after they pulled into the garage and indulged the younger this time when he leaned in for a hug. He ran his fingers through Leehan's windswept navy curls, stroking them carefully out of his face so that he could look into his eyes. The fog had cleared slightly though they dropped tiredly, Leehan's blinks having become slow and sleepy now. Affection tugged at Taesan's heartstrings.
"Hey, baby." He ran his thumb lightly over the curve of his swollen cheek. "How are you feeling?"
"…Like jello." Leehan leaned heavier against his chest. "'m tired, Dongminie."
Taesan laughed warmly and pressed a kiss against his temple. "And I think that's our cue to head upstairs. C'mon bunny."
The elevator ride up to the dorm was quiet. Leehan stayed snuggled against his side and by the time they hit the upper floor he was practically asleep on his feet. Instead of trying to manhandle him down the hall, Taesan elected to make life easier on himself and swept Leehan up into his arms in a princess carry.
He kicked the door lightly a few times to grab someone's attention. A few seconds later Woonhak opened it up with a bright grin that dimmed slightly before turning mischievous when he caught sight of Leehan cradled in Taesan's arms. Taesan glared at him, cocking an eyebrow as if daring the younger to say something. Woonhak raised his hands in silent surrender as Taesan shouldered past him to head to his bedroom.
Leehan whined a little when Taesan set him down in the bed, making grabby hands at him when he backed off. "Dongmin…"
Taesan leaned down to kiss him on the forehead. "I'll be right back, Donghyunie. I'm just gonna go grab you some water and pain meds for when the anesthesia wears off. Do you want some ice for your face? I read online that it helps after you get wisdom teeth removed."
"M'kay. Jus' come back quick." Leehan's Busan accent drawled through his sleepy mumbles and Taesan would put money on the younger being asleep before he came back.
He shut the bedroom door softly behind him before making his way to the kitchen to gather his desired items. Just as he finished piling some ice into a ziploc bag Sungho rounded the corner and smiled at him in greeting.
"You're back. How'd it go?"
"All good, the nurse said there were no complications with the procedure and he'll be good as new in about a week. Donghyun's still a bit out of it from the drugs so he's not in any pain, mostly he's just tired right now. I'm planning to let him sleep the rest of it off and then coax him to eat something if he's feeling up to it." He dug into his pocket for a second before thrusting a slightly crumpled slip of paper at the eldest. "Do you think you could get this filled? It's the antibiotics."
The blonde nodded without hesitation. "Sure thing, Riwoo and I were going to run to the grocery store in a bit anyways. That's why I'm even up here right now. We'll drop it at the pharmacy on the way there and pick it up before we come back. Is there anything else you think he'll need?"
"Well thanks to you we're good on jello— he's very much looking forward to that, by the way— but other than that..." Taesan paused to think. "Maybe get some soup? And banana milk, he loves that especially when he's not feeling well."
"Can do." Sungho clapped him on the shoulder as Riwoo entered the kitchen in his jacket, obviously ready to head out. "Take care of him okay, Dongmin-ah?"
"Like you even have to ask."
Taesan carefully balanced the ice and water bottles in his hands on his way back down the hall, making a quick pit stop in the bathroom to grab the painkillers and a towel to wrap the ice in. He could hear Woonhak playing some game in the living room while Sungho and Riwoo shuffled around in the entryway putting their shoes on. He nudged the door open with his shoulder and paused to observe the sight that greeted him.
While he'd been gone Leehan had shucked off the jacket he'd been wearing and had replaced it with the hoodie Taesan had abandoned just before he'd gone out to the kitchen. And just like he'd predicted, the younger was now fast asleep. Taesan tiptoed the rest of the way into the bedroom, gingerly setting everything down on his nightstand. He'd at least had the foresight to bring a bowl with him so if the ice melted it wouldn't drip all over the place. He slipped into the other side of the bed, wrapping his arms around his soon-to-be boyfriend to pull him against his chest. Even asleep Leehan went easily, letting out a content sigh against the fabric of his t-shirt.
"Th'nks, D'ngm'n. L've you."
Muffled and quiet as it was, Taesan would have recognized the words anywhere. It wasn't the first time he'd heard them out of Leehan's mouth, though most of the other times had been in the middle of sex in between cries of his name and praises so he hadn't exactly taken them too seriously. He'd said the words himself a few times but played it off like it didn't mean as much even though he'd felt the weight of them in his heart.
For some reason he thought about their conversation from earlier. If Leehan was strawberry jello then what was he? Lemon flavor? Or was he the whipped cream? ...He really was spending too much time with Leehan, if these were the thoughts he was having. Taesan buried a chuckle in Leehan's curls and decided to ask the younger later to get his opinion on the matter.
"Sleep well, Donghyunie. I love you."