Work Text:
Keonhee is not the strongest in the group.
Heck, he would rank himself only above Dongju because he just doesn't like exercising and would rather watch television or sleep.
The day he throws the boxing gloves at Youngjo's general direction during the recording of a ONEUS DO IT episode and almost hits Hwanwoong though, he feels like he has unlocked some extraordinary super force within himself. He's as startled as Hwanwoong, whose face pales at the loud bang of the gloves against the wall.
Automatically, Keonhee runs up to him and engulfs Hwanwoong in a hug, whispering sorry and feeling the fast-paced beating of his friend's heart and the subtle way he shivers.
From that day onward, Keonhee keeps a close eye on Hwanwoong. Wary of all external forces that can hurt his tiny group mate and friend.
He makes it his personal mission to look after Hwanwoong.
1.
It's not often that they go out with just the two of them for official schedules. Usually it includes all six members and Keonhee doesn't have to worry about anything but following Youngjo, who happens to be following their manager.
All in all, small schedules are great but he's hating it right now. Their manager dropped Keonhee and Hwanwoong off somewhere he doesn't know that well about five minutes ago, only with the instruction of make it to the radio station on time, I will pick you two up when the show is over and it would all be good if it weren't raining or so early that both Keonhee and Hwanwoong are still dizzy with sleep.
Keonhee looks at the time and then around. The street is busy and he's sure he knows where he is but the gloomy and gray weather makes it hard to distinguish things. Hwanwoong is yawning by his side and Keonhee wishes they could just go back home and sleep. Keonhee loves being on radio shows, don't get him wrong, but today is just not looking that good, even if it's supposed to be a great thing since it will give more attention to both of them individually.
Hwanwoong reaches out to hold the hem of Keonhee's sweater and trips on his own feet. Keonhee is holding an umbrella and trying to use the GPS on his phone but he manages to catch hold of Hwanwoong at the right time, making sure he's safe and dry - well, mostly dry.
"Pay attention," Keonhee warns, looking back down on his phone but not before entwining their arms. Hwanwoong nods once and hums, closing his eyes and leaning his head against Keonhee's arm - he can't reach Keonhee's shoulder while standing today due to the small heels on Keonhee's boots making him taller than usual but it looks comfortable enough. "Woong-ah?"
Keonhee calls his name and Hwanwoong groans, burying his face on the soft fabric of Keonhee's fluffy sweater.
Keonhee stares down at him and sighs. With no warning, he detaches Hwanwoong from his arm and is met with complaints in the form of soft whining.
He ignores the complaints and just urges Hwanwoong to stand on his right instead of his left. Hwanwoong looks up at him with confusion behind sleepy eyes and Keonhee shakes his head and pats Hwanwoong's hand that reaches out to hold his arm.
"Let's go? I think I've finally located where we need to be," Keonhee says and Hwanwoong nods, looking ahead. "We have ten minutes, so we better rush."
"Alright," Hwanwoong replies.
Keonhee smiles and feels glad that Hwanwoong didn't question his actions. Thank God because Keonhee would have felt truly embarrassed if he had to explain that he didn't want Hwanwoong to be on the edge of the sidewalk, it's safer if he's standing closer to the wall and not by the cars passing on the street.
Keonhee ends up with his pants slightly wet at the hem but it's all right because they make it to the radio station with time to spare.
And if Keonhee smiles when he sees the content look on Hwanwoong's face as they enter the place, that's no one's problem but his.
2.
Keonhee sees the mischievous glint in Dongju's eyes the moment they step foot back in the dorms.
Lately, along with Seoho, he has been crafting different ways to trick the members and pull pranks at unexpected times. Keonhee has fallen victim at least twice and he's sure their biggest target is Youngjo as their oldest member is the easiest to fool and the nicest about it. The last time they did it to Geonhak, they were forced to join him on a two-hour workout session, Seoho was just fine and only complained about some pain in his legs but Dongju stayed in bed for a whole day moaning about how he would never be able to move any of his limbs ever again - thankfully it was a day with no schedule and he got the necessary rest, he was fine two days later.
The first hint comes when Keonhee looks straight into Dongju's eyes as he's entering the kitchen and he winks and sends a toothy grin his way.
Keonhee narrows his eyes at him and observes. Everyone else barges into the living room and scatters around. Youngjo excuses himself to the bathroom for a shower and Geonhak mentions something about exercising in his room. Hwanwoong throws himself down on the couch and Seoho winks at Dongju before going to his shared room with Youngjo.
All of that right in front of Keonhee. It's as if they expect him to be so clueless to the point that he will not notice the small nuances of their interaction but they look so sketchy that it's hard to miss.
"Woong-hyung," Dongju sing-songs and Keonhee locks the door they left open, just in time to hear the sound of a packet being ripped open. "Do you still have space in your tummy for some oreos?"
There he goes thinks Keonhee and searches his brain for what prank this could be because Dongju never shares his sweets with anyone, especially not oreos, and neither does he refer to Hwanwoong as hyung with that sugary tone.
"I do!" Keonhee announces and rushes to Dongju, snatching the treat from his hands as though he's starving and didn't just have fried chicken until he could burst. "Thanks."
Hwanwoong stares at Keonhee in disbelief all the way from the couch, sitting up and all.
"Excuse me but what the fuck?" Hwanwoong says, glaring at Keonhee. "Ju offered those to me and not you."
"Too bad, huh?" Keonhee says and runs into his room, almost stepping on Geonhak who's currently doing some sit-ups. Geonhak ignores him and Keonhee is thankful for he goes straight to his bed and tries one of the oreos in order to figure out what's wrong with them.
It's instantly perceptible.
Keonhee gags at the taste of peppermint toothpaste and takes off towards the bathroom, only to realize the door is locked because Youngjo is showering and damn it, Youngjo usually takes an hour in there so there's no use trying.
Keonhee enters the kitchen again so as to spit the oreo on the trash. Dongju is gone and so is Hwanwoong, giving Keonhee the leverage of getting rid of that calamity in his mouth without being judged. He wraps the rest of the oreos on a napkin and throws them away as well.
A cough startles him and Keonhee turns around. He's faced with Hwanwoong staring at him, arms crossed in front of his chest.
"You stole the oreos offered to me just to go and throw them away?" he questions, baffled. Keonhee widens his eyes at being caught red-handed and licks his lips, almost wincing at the gross taste still in his mouth.
"They were too sweet," he lies and Hwanwoong fumes, huffing and rolling his eyes before turning away from him. He leaves without a word and Keonhee would be sad if he wasn't feeling accomplished that he avoided having Hwanwoong eat those disgusting oreos.
3.
Keonhee loves attention.
He loves being recognized for his hard work and hearing his name being shouted by a crowd.
What he does not like though is the way it sometimes goes overboard to the point of masses of people coming together and making it hard for them to move around wherever they are.
He understands since this time it is a festival and many other groups are performing but the way everyone is being pushed around despite the security guards makes his skin crawl. He has his eyes trained towards the general direction of where they need to be but Keonhee hears Youngjo calling his name and then turning to look at him.
"Is Woong with you?" he asks and Keonhee shakes his head, feels his blood run cold for a second before he's turning around and pushing past the crowd. He goes past Geonhak and Dongju, past many other people, but does not locate Hwanwoong.
He starts to panic when makes it closer to the back of the crowd. It's thinning out now that the other groups have gone past and into the staff only section but it's still a hassle, Keonhee wants whoever is in charge of security to be fired.
He looks around at the empty space frantically and sighs in relief when he looks down and sees Hwanwoong sitting by the curbside against the railings.
"Hey, you okay?" he asks, sitting down next to him. Hwanwoong is about to answer when Keonhee hears the screams and screeches nearing again. He turns to Hwanwoong and wraps his arms protectively around him, pushing his friend tight against his chest and covering himself with the hood of his jacket. He prays no one is going to pay attention since they're sitting down and these fans are looking straight ahead. The sound of the footsteps die down and Keonhee sees the mass is at the other side, lining up to enter the venue and he lets go of Hwanwoong.
"We're gonna be late," Hwanwoong exclaims, jumping to his feet and grabbing Keonhee by the wrist. They rush to the staff entrance and the security lets them in.
Keonhee sighs in relief when they're in the safety of their dressing room and he sees that Hwanwoong is unscathed.
4.
There are days Seoho gets his way and convinces Keonhee, Hwanwoong and Dongju into going to the movies with him.
Youngjo and Geonhak oftentimes decline his offer in lieu of going to the gym together which is the case this time as well - and will most likely be again when Seoho asks them in the future.
The maknae line though, were all roped into Seoho's little plan and are now all on the last row of seats ready for the movie, a horror movie none of them agreed to. Keonhee finds himself in between Hwanwoong and Dongju and already knows how this will play out and laughs at how sneaky Seoho thinks he is.
Keonhee is sure this is all a plan to have Dongju cling to him for dear life during jumpscares and he hates how he was convinced into taking part in this as he's not one for horror movies too.
He's quite sure Hwanwoong would rather be doing something else as well since the three of them are scaredy cats and will just shriek and scream the whole time and just generally not pay attention at all while Seoho laughs his ass off.
The movie starts and all the trailers before it are for other horror movies too. Keonhee's arm accidentally brushes against Hwanwoong's and he feels how tense he is, how he flinches at the mere contact. In the most sneaky way possible, Keonhee side-eyes Hwanwoong and almost laughs at the way he's peeking at the big screen from between his fingers.
The loud sounds and screams from the movie are not pleasant and, more than once, make Keonhee jump out of his skin and want to stand up and leave but the way Hwanwoong is shaking by his side keeps him glued to his seat.
Without a word, Keonhee reaches out for Hwanwoong's hand that's now gripping the chair's armrest and entwines their fingers, squeezing it a few times before Hwanwoong pushes the armrest that separates them up and throws his arms around Keonhee's body. It startles Keonhee but it's not unpleasant, much on the contrary, Keonhee allows and urges Hwanwoong into burying his face on his chest. He also wraps his arms around Hwanwoong's shivering figure in a protective way, it's comfortable and distracts him from the gruesome contents of the movie.
They remain in that position throughout the movie. Keonhee has the terrible idea of looking to the side to check on his friends halfway. He makes eye contact with Seoho who smirks at him, even having the audacity to wiggle his eyebrows at Keonhee when he looks down at Hwanwoong's hunched up figure.
The embarrassment makes his ears burn and he looks back to the screen, closing his eye immediately when he's faced with yet another scene that creeps him out. Keonhee is thankful for the darkness of the cinema because he's blushing and wouldn't want Hwanwoong to see how red his face probably is.
He enjoys the warmth emanating from Hwanwoong's body pressed against his though and realizes he has fallen asleep, his soft snores reaching his ears. Keonhee looks down at him and tries to hold back a smile.
He fails.
5.
Everyone knows Keonhee is a big cry baby.
Be it because of a movie, because he misses his family or because he's happy that he can see his fans during concerts. The tears start and they usually only stop when he's calmed down, a glass of water in one hand and a tissue on the other. And, of course as usual and expected, a much needed hug from whoever is close by.
This time, he bursts into tears when he checks the group chat with everyone and sees a new message from Youngjo that was sent over three hours ago.
🌹🔥: had to take woong to the hospital. group practice is canceled for today, you can either rest or continue with your own individual practice
Today Keonhee was running late but didn't worry too much because they had scheduled practice with everyone later during the day. Right now they were all focusing on their individual practice but Keonhee stayed until late the previous day doing exactly that so he was taking it easy this morning.
Which means he's alone in the dorms and there's not a single soul to give him a hug as soon as he starts crying. To make matters worse, Youngjo's text is the last one sent in the chat, no one said anything else as they are probably up to date with what's going on since they were all at the company at the time this happened.
Keonhee is so immersed in his intense bawling while trying to figure out what happened to Hwanwoong that he doesn't hear the front door opening. His phone is forgotten by his side on the couch and he's cocooned on one of the blankets they keep there.
The scene would be comical if Keonhee was not wailing miserably. He feels a tug on the blanket and lets out a shriek, kicking something soft in the process of flailing around until he realizes it's Youngjo trying to talk to him.
"Keonhee-ah," he says, one eye closed as he rubs his thigh, Keonhee feels bad for kicking him like that. "What's going on?" Keonhee stares at him with a big pout on his lips. "Is it because of the text I sent on the group chat?"
Keonhee nods and sniffs, reaching out to wipe the tears off his face.
"I'm fine," Hwanwoong says and Keonhee jumps to his feet, almost tripping down as the blanket is all jumbled around his feet. "I just fell badly during practice and sprained an ankle. It's nothing."
Taking a good look at Hwanwoong, Keonhee notices how he's leaning against the wall and his eyes fly down to his feet. He notices the way the right one is heavily bandaged and looks back up at Hwanwoong with a glare.
"That does not look like nothing," Keonhee says, rubbing his eyes but trying to look slightly threatening still.
"And it is not," Youngjo adds, reminding Keonhee that he's still there with them. "He's supposed to rest for a week and a half, no strain is to be put on that leg of his," he explains, Keonhee knows he's trying to make sure at least another person is aware of what needs to be enforced on Hwanwoong even though he'll probably tell everyone about it later.
Without having to be asked, Keonhee raises his hand and walks up to Hwanwoong, linking their arms. He even forgets he was crying his eyes out a minute ago.
"I'll make sure to look after Woongie," he says and Hwanwoong rolls his eyes, huffing and trying to pull away, all in vain.
Youngjo nods, gives him a thumbs up and yawns. Before going to his room to rest, he picks the blankets from the floor and puts it up on the couch, Keonhee watches the way Youngjo looks tired and guesses he's stressed - he would be too if he were the oldest in the group, even if they have no leader, a lot of stress falls upon Youngjo due to that.
Keonhee gives his full attention to Hwanwoong then, pointing to the couch and lifting Hwanwoong up so he doesn't have to walk there himself.
"Put me down," Hwanwoong complains and thrashes around a little but gives up rather fast, Keonhee does have a tight grip on his waist and his ankle must be hurting as well. "Thanks," he mumbles when Keonhee carefully lets go of him. "Why were you crying?"
Keonhee sighs and takes the empty space by Hwanwoong's right side.
"I was just worried something bad happened to you," Keonhee admits after a moment of hesitation, there's no use lying about it. "No one said anything in the group and I imagined the worst case scenarios."
"You thought I was in the ER or something?" Hwanwoong asks, not making fun of him for being dramatic with his assumptions. Keonhee nods and Hwanwoong stifles a laugh then. "Don't be silly, if it were so serious hyung would've called everyone to deliver the news."
Keonhee nods again, he knows that's what would've happened but still, he worries, that's just how Keonhee is.
"What exactly happened?" Keonhee asks.
"I tried tumbling because I wanted to do something exciting and new for the next time we have concerts and, as you can guess, I failed," Hwanwoong coughs and looks away. "I took a false step when I was supposed to land and slipped. The hardwood floor on the practice rooms are, uh, very hard."
Keonhee can't help but laugh at that.
"So I also have some purple spots on the right side of my waist and elbow," Hwanwoong sighs and leans back against the couch. "I feel so bad for hindering group practice now."
Keonhee shakes his head and reaches out, holding Hwanwoong's hand into his.
"It's just one week and a half," Keonhee says, looking him in the eyes. "If it were anyone else, you would say it's fine. Don't be so hard on yourself."
Keonhee says that but he knows it's not something so easy to do. He's fallen victim to that many times as well so he understands why Hwanwoong is making a face at his words and lets go off his hands in the process.
He's going to say something else so as not to leave the atmosphere silent like that. Keonhee likes silence sometimes but it feels awkward right now and he doesn't like awkward. But, before he can even think of what to say, Hwanwoong leans his head on his shoulder.
"You're thinking too loud," Hwanwoong says and Keonhee shakes his head, tired of hearing that from him. "I'm tired, the trip to the hospital was so long and filling paperwork there was annoying. Please, let me stay like this for a few minutes."
And, as if Hwanwoong knows how Keonhee's heart has been weak lately, he reaches out to hold his hand that's resting by his knee and even interlocks their fingers tight, softly running his thumb against the back of Keonhee's hand.
Keonhee's mouth goes dry and he tries his best to breathe normally. It is unnatural the way his heart is pounding against his ribcage and how hot his face feels. He knows Hwanwoong can probably hear it as he's so close and Keonhee is glad he keeps it to himself instead of saying it out loud.
Five minutes later, Hwanwoong's hold on his hand goes a little loose and Keonhee's assured he's fallen asleep.
He takes a moment to gather his thoughts and reaches a very obvious conclusion and fuck, he's in love with Hwanwoong.
+1.
Keonhee is woken up when he feels his mattress dipping. He sits up and yelps when his head hits something soft.
For a moment, he freaks out and wonders what's going on but he remembers he's in the safety of the dorms and that it's maybe just one of the members trying to get into his bed. Dongju does that sometimes and it would not be a surprise, he bed-hops around though and the last time he came to Keonhee's bed was a month ago.
"Dongju-yah, go back to your bed," Keonhee whispers, voice rough with sleep, and lies back down.
"It's not Dongju," Hwanwoong's voice whispers back a reply and Keonhee freezes. Ever since he took care of Hwanwoong during that one week and a half, the way Keonhee's heart has been picking up its pace whenever he sees him and how his hands get clammy when they're too close has been one of the most recent problems in his life. In fact, his hands are sweating right now and he tries to discreetly wipe them on his pajama pants. "Ju is snoring too loud and the wind is making those creepy noises outside. I think it's going to rain hard soon. Can I sleep with you tonight? The hyungs keep the door locked since Dongju tried to sneak inside some other day with a bunch of plushies instead of normally going there just by himself."
Despite everything that he's feeling, Keonhee doesn't hesitate and makes space for Hwanwoong. He doesn't have to move around too much and they're comfortable in no time, bodies pressed together like a perfect puzzle.
It's been a month since Keonhee admitted to himself that he likes Hwanwoong and being fully aware of it makes this whole situation different. Different because Keonhee pays attention to every single detail and suffers thinking if he even has a single chance with him. Hwanwoong has always been welcoming to every kind of skinship coming from him, has made Keonhee feel validated and, he dares say, has made him even feel loved, so this gives Keonhee even more to think about.
Hwanwoong's breathing evens out and Keonhee thinks he has fallen asleep, taking into account the fact that he's limp against his chest and even snoring a little.
The sound of the raindrops against the window catch Keonhee's attention and he shivers. Even if he was prepared beforehand, especially since Hwanwoong had mentioned it before, the cracking sound of the thunder makes Keonhee jump and whimper.
He hears Hwanwoong inhaling deeply and scurrying closer to him and Keonhee takes the chance to hug him closer, tighter. This situation is not foreign to him, Hwanwoong and him had shared a bed many times before - back when it was just Keonhee, Hwanwoong and Seoho -, especially on nights like this. Whenever it would rain hard, Hwanwoong would jump right in Keonhee's bed and stick close to him, holding his hand until the both of them would be asleep, Keonhee's fear of thunder forgotten.
As these memories cross his mind, Keonhee is not sure if he's the one protecting Hwanwoong from harm or the other way around after all. This has become such a habit to them, that he didn't pay much attention to it, it just felt natural.
Another cracking sound comes from outside and Keonhee accidentally kicks the wall behind himself, it makes a muffled thud and he prays Geonhak is not woken up by all the rustle he's making. He presses his eyes shut and is about to bring a hand to his ear that's not pressed against the pillow when he feels Hwanwoong touch his neck.
"Keonhee-ah, 's fine," Hwanwoong mumbles, the hand that was on Keonhee's neck is currently pushing the longer strands of hair behind his ear. It's distracting and Keonhee hyper-focuses on that action, he's glad that Hwanwoong can't see how red his face is right now because the tip of his ears are surely burning up and Keonhee even feels a little feverish. "I'm here."
Keonhee shivers, those words make his body warm up all over, more than it already was, and he takes it as an opening to curl up and inch closer to Hwanwoong and let himself be engulfed in a hug. His forehead touches Hwanwoong's collarbone and he feels his hand resting on his back, rubbing circles there. Keonhee sighs in relief, his body tenses up a little when another thunder cracks loudly but the pressure of Hwanwoong's chin resting on top of his head and the smell of his lemony body wash filling his senses every time he breathes in comforts Keonhee in an inexplicable way.
Maybe it's the familiarity of the position they're in, Hwanwoong would always cuddle him on days like this, or maybe it's the fact that by doing this Hwanwoong shows Keonhee that he cares and would get out of his warm and comfortable bed just to look out for him. Those thoughts make him smile and he can't even be bothered to pay attention to the rain that's still going on outside, the loud bangs of the raindrops against the window and the thunder fall on deaf ears.
Keonhee falls asleep in Hwanwoong's arms - and wakes up still in them.
+2.
Keonhee is usually the type of person who tries to be positive and see the good side in everything. But there are days things just don't go his way and today is one of them.
In his defense, Dongju was not having the best day as well but that doesn't mean that the jabs and sarcastic words hurt any less. He knows he should measure and think over what he says but his filter lacks in speed sometimes and the words are out before he can analyze them.
Maybe he shouldn't have commented on those things anyway - constructive criticism is only good when asked, Keonhee could have used better words too - and he knows they'll talk it out and solve it sooner or later - hopefully tomorrow because Keonhee is not in the mood for it now - but now he doesn't feel like going back to the dorms and having to face his group mate, he's feeling bad as it is and being ignored by someone he cares about just hurts him more than he wishes it did.
He checks the time on his phone and sees it's past midnight. He doesn't know who else is still at the company but he doesn't want to message the group chat and find out it's Dongju or worse, be left on read.
He looks around the small room and considers sleeping there. He has done that before, although not intentional, and it wasn't that much of a bad experience - even if he felt his back aching for two days after that.
As he's contemplating his life choices, there's a knock on the door and Keonhee jumps on his chair in surprise. He wonders if it's a staff or perhaps their manager but, once he opens the door, Keonhee is met with Hwanwoong looking up at him, lower lip between teeth.
"Uh," he prolongs that sound and looks away. "I heard from Ju you guys had a disagreement earlier," Hwanwoong starts slowly and Keonhee sighs, bringing both hands to his face and rubbing his eyes. Shit, he's so tired that he feels like crying, his emotional state during this time of the day is the worst, especially after such a long and terrible one. "He looked pretty upset."
"I know, it's my fault," Keonhee turns around and makes his way back to the chair, sitting down on it and twirling around on it until he's in front of the computer. "I shouldn't have said that it doesn't look like he's been practicing his singing properly, that was shitty of me. I know he was having a bad day and yet I said that, I apologized as soon as those words were past my lips but it was too late."
Hwanwoong closes the door when he enters the room and sits down on the stool that's right next to the keyboard.
"Are you planning on camping here?" Hwanwoong asks when Keonhee keeps quiet, staring at the screen of the computer despite not using it. "Dongju already went to sleep, you don't have to worry about bumping into him."
Keonhee turns to look at him with a question on the tip of his tongue.
"You want to know how I know?" Hwanwoong laughs and Keonhee sighs again, nodding. "I saw him getting in bed half an hour ago."
Keonhee nods in understanding. Then he pauses.
"Wait, what?" Keonhee makes a face as he stares at Hwanwoong. "Why did you come back to the company? Are you planning to practice more? I'm pretty sure you were here like, three hours ago, you should be home sleeping too."
Hwanwoong laughs at him, as though what Keonhee is saying is absurd.
"I wanted to check on you because I know how Dongju is like when he fights with people," Hwanwoong says and stares up at the ceiling. "He can be pretty mean in the heat of the moment and I know how you are and I'm pretty sure you've been moping around ever since it happened. You're such a sensitive and considerate soul."
Keonhee loves and hates being perceived like that, especially by Hwanwoong. It makes his stomach do funny things and his heart feels like it's going to explode at how much affection he feels for him. The details Hwanwoong always pays attention to are small details that usually go unnoticed by some of the members.
It's involuntary, really, but Keonhee tears up and Hwanwoong only notices it when Keonhee hiccups and sniffles.
"Why are you crying?" Hwanwoong asks in a small voice. He even gets up from the stool and kneels in front of Keonhee, resting his elbows on his knees. "What did Dongju say to you?"
"I'm not crying because of that," Keonhee replies, vigorously rubbing his eyes. "I deserved those words and I'm already over them."
Keonhee reaches out for his water bottle and gulps down half of it.
"And I was not crying," Keonhee continues, dabbing his eyes with some tissues he found in his pocket. "I just got a little emotional."
He should feel offended at the way Hwanwoong laughs at him but his laughter is music to his ears. Keonhee smiles instead, his eyes still glassy but he has so much fondness wanting to burst out of him that he can't help it.
"Emotional?" Hwanwoong manages to croak out between his soft giggling. Keonhee rolls his eyes at him playfully. "Over what exactly?"
Keonhee wonders if he should be brave and say it, utter those words that have been stuck on his throat for longer than he knows since he's sure those feelings were there way before he became aware of them.
Keonhee decides that he can only live his life once.
"You," Keonhee replies, his voice a whisper but, in such a tiny room, it's loud enough. Hwanwoong's laughter dies out and he tilts his head as he looks up at Keonhee, confused expression on his face.
"Me?" he questions, the purely innocent expression on his features has Keonhee closing his hands into fists, Hwanwoong is too cute and Keonhee be damned, he's going to lose it soon. "What did I do? Why me?"
He looks straight into Hwanwoong's sparkly doe-like eyes and makes a mental countdown to keep himself grounded.
3, 2, 1-
"Because I love you," Keonhee blurts out, doing his best not to break eye contact because he wants to see Hwanwoong's reaction, wants to know if he should prepare himself for heartbreak. "Because I thought I was the one looking after you but I realized you're the one who does it for me. I'm there for you more in the physical aspect of it because I'm bigger but you've been my emotional pillar for longer than I could even notice because I'm stupid."
Hwanwoong remains silent for a split moment before he smiles so bright Keonhee would look away but he's always mesmerized at how beautiful Hwanwoong looks like that, eyes almost turning into crescents and his teeth showing, the curve of his lips forming the pretty shape of a heart.
"You know it goes both ways, right?" Hwanwoong says when all Keonhee does is stare dumbly at him. "You have always been there for me as well. We're both still here because we have each other. Sure, I know, everyone else has been there as well but like, it's hard to put into words and make it make sense. Having you with me makes it more special and more worthy than it should be."
"Don't look at me like that," Hwanwoong laughs again, it's his embarrassed laugh and he even hides behind his hands, peeking at Keonhee from between his fingers. "Oh and," he exclaims and widens his eyes. "I love you too."
Keonhee regains his senses when he feels Hwanwoong breaking their physical contact as he pulls his elbows away from his knees and looks like he's about to get up. Hwanwoong is paralized when Keonhee brings a hand under his chin and lifts his face so they're gazing at each other again.
"Are you being brave now?" Hwanwoong jokes and the laugh dies on his throat when he sees Keonhee's scooting closer as well and pulling him up with his other hand that's now on the small of his back. "Keonhee-ah, use words, you're making me anxious with the silence."
"I'm going to kiss you," Keonhee announces as soon as he makes sure Hwanwoong is comfortably sitting down on his lap, his face a pretty shade of red. Hwanwoong nods and bites his lips nervously before lurching forward himself and pressing his lips to Keonhee's.
Kissing Hwanwoong is everything Keonhee imagined but better. Perhaps that's because he has thought of kissing Hwanwoong too many times in the span of a month or perhaps it's due to all the unspoken words that are left unsaid but both of them are aware of. The feelings that don't need to be talked about because just one look in each other's eyes says it all.
Or maybe it's because Hwanwoong kisses Keonhee with such passion and intensity that he's simply swept off his feet.
He doesn't know how long it lasts but it takes the door being opened and a scream to break them apart.
"Sorry?" Youngjo says when Hwanwoong and Keonhee look at him, both all disheveled hair and swollen lips. "I just wanted to check on Keonhee and tell him that Dongju sent me a text hours ago telling me he is sorry for saying whatever he said to you. I see you got here before I did though," he smiles and winks at them before closing the door.
Hwanwoong looks at Keonhee and breaks into laughter, Keonhee revels in it and smiles wider when he feels him press their foreheads together.
"I think we should get back to the dorms," Hwanwoong says and pulls away, standing up from Keonhee's lap and stretching. "Sleeping in the practice rooms is not comfortable."
"I know," Keonhee replies and turns the computer off properly before standing up as well. Hwanwoong is leaning against the closed door watching him when he's finished getting his things inside his bag and Keonhee raises an eyebrow.
Hwanwoong yawns and makes grabby hands at Keonhee, actually walking up to him and pressing his face to his chest, hugging him.
"Can I sleep on your bed tonight?" Hwanwoong asks, eyes closed and voice muffled by Keonhee's cardigan. "Also, would you be my boyfriend?"
Keonhee splutters and Hwanwoong looks at him with amusement in his face.
"Yeah sure," Keonhee replies when Hwanwoong keeps on staring at him without uttering a word. "For both."
"Let's not tell anyone and watch how long it takes them to catch up on it," Hwanwoong snickers and squeezes Keonhee once before letting go. "Now let's go, I'm dead tired and would like to cuddle my boyfriend to sleep as soon as possible."
Keonhee pretends his face is not turning red and follows Hwanwoong out of the room, being pulled by the wrist.
"Youngjo-hyung already knows though," Keonhee comments when they're out of the company building and walking towards the building where their dorm is located, it's five blocks away and a good ten minute walk.
"No, he doesn't," Hwanwoong replies. "Hyung caught us kissing, he's not going to assume we're dating based just on that."
The answer makes sense to Keonhee's tired brain so he just nods.
The streets are empty at this time and, in the dimly lit path, Hwanwoong reaches out and holds Keonhee's hand tightly.
Keonhee looks down at their entwined fingers and smiles, Hwanwoong catches him staring and smiles back at him.
That night, Keonhee sleeps with Hwanwoong's hair tickling his neck softly, his arm around his waist and their legs in a tangled mess.
He has never slept so well.